Shloka 12
अध्याय २०८ — इन्द्रियनिग्रहः, सत्याहिंसात्मकवाक्, कर्मफलविवेकः
Restraint of the Senses, Non-harming Truthful Speech, and Discernment of Karmic Consequence
एवं शतसहस्राणां शतं तस्य महात्मन: । पुत्राणां च न ते कंचिदिच्छन्त्यन्यं प्रजापतिम्
evaṁ śata-sahasrāṇāṁ śataṁ tasya mahātmanaḥ | putrāṇāṁ ca na te kaṁcid icchanty anyaṁ prajāpatiṁ ||
ພີດສະມະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ສໍາລັບກະສັດຜູ້ມີຈິດໃຈຍິ່ງໃຫຍ່ນັ້ນ ມີບຸດຊາຍເປັນກຸ່ມໆ—ໜຶ່ງຮ້ອຍກຸ່ມ ກຸ່ມລະໜຶ່ງແສນ—ເປັນວົງສານຸວົງອັນຫາຂອບເຂດບໍ່ໄດ້. ແລະບຸດທັງຫມົດນັ້ນ ບໍ່ປາຖະໜາພຣະອົງອື່ນເປັນ ‘ປຣະຊາປະຕິ’ ນອກຈາກພຣະອົງເທົ່ານັ້ນ».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores dharmic legitimacy in rulership: when a ruler is recognized as a rightful ‘prajāpati’—a sustaining, generative authority—subjects (here, his vast progeny) do not seek alternative allegiance. Moral authority and social stability are presented as intertwined.
Bhīṣma is describing the extraordinary progeny of a great king (Śaśabindu in the surrounding account): his sons were so numerous that they are counted as ‘a hundred hundred-thousands,’ and they acknowledged no other ‘prajāpati’ than him.