Adhyāya 57: Tapas–Dāna Phala
On the Fruits of Austerity and Giving
राजन् सम्यग् जितानीह पञड्च पज्च स्वयं त्वया
rājan samyag jitānīha pañca pañca svayaṃ tvayā
ഹേ രാജാവേ, ഇവിടെ നീ സ്വന്തം പരിശ്രമത്താൽ അഞ്ചിനെയും അഞ്ചിനെയും യഥാവിധി ജയിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു.
भीष्म उवाच
True ethical strength is self-conquest: a ruler is praised not merely for external victories but for mastering inner forces—commonly understood as the paired pentads (such as the senses and their objects), achieved through one’s own disciplined effort.
Bhīṣma, instructing the king in dharma, commends him for having properly subdued key sets of temptations or faculties—framing kingship as grounded in inner restraint and personal responsibility.