Shloka 124
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
तेनेयं पृथिवी दुग्धा सस्यानि दश सप्त च | यक्षराक्षसनागैश्वापीप्सितं यस्य यस्य यत्
teneyaṁ pṛthivī dugdhā sasyāni daśa sapta ca | yakṣarākṣasanāgaiś cāpīpsitaṁ yasya yasya yat |
भीष्म म्हणाले—त्यांनी या पृथ्वीचे जणू दोहन केले; त्यातून सतराप्रकारची धान्ये मिळाली. आणि यक्ष, राक्षस व नाग यांपैकी ज्याला जे अभिष्ट होते, तेच त्यांनी या पृथ्वीपासून दुहून काढले.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the metaphor of ‘milking the Earth’ to express righteous governance: a capable ruler makes the land fruitful and ensures that diverse communities and beings receive what they legitimately seek, reflecting stewardship, order, and welfare rather than exploitation.
Bhīṣma describes a powerful figure who caused the Earth to yield abundant produce—specifically seventeen kinds of grains—and who enabled Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, and Nāgas to obtain from the Earth the particular goods each desired.