Shloka 7
राजधर्मः—प्रजापालनं दानयज्ञश्च
Royal Duty—Protection of Subjects, Generosity, and Sacrificial Discipline
यदधीते यद् ददाति यज्जुहोति यदर्चति । राजा चतुर्थभाक् तस्य प्रजा धर्मेण पालयन्,प्रजा जो स्वाध्याय, जो दान, जो होम और जो पूजन करती है, उन पुण्य कर्मोंका एक चौथाई भाग उस प्रजाका धर्मपूर्वक पालन करनेवाला नरेश प्राप्त कर लेता है
yad adhīte yad dadāti yaj juhoti yad arcati | rājā caturthabhāk tasya prajā dharmeṇa pālayan ||
ಪ್ರಜೆ ಮಾಡುವ ಸ್ವಾಧ್ಯಾಯ, ದಾನ, ಹೋಮ, ಪೂಜೆ—ಈ ಪುಣ್ಯಕರ್ಮಗಳ ಚತುರ್ಥಾಂಶವನ್ನು ಧರ್ಮಾನುಸಾರ ಪ್ರಜೆಯನ್ನು ರಕ್ಷಿಸಿ ಪಾಲಿಸುವ ರಾಜನು ನ್ಯಾಯವಾಗಿ ಪಡೆಯುತ್ತಾನೆ.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king who protects his subjects according to dharma becomes entitled to a quarter share of the religious merit generated by their study, charity, sacrifices, and worship—implying that righteous governance is itself a spiritually consequential duty.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma teaches Yudhishthira principles of righteous rule, explaining how the king’s dharma-based protection of the people links the ruler to the moral and religious prosperity of the realm.