Shloka 102
Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
दण्डनीतिं पुरस्कृत्य विजाननू क्षत्रिय: सदा । अनवाप्तं च लिप्सेत लब्धं च परिपालयेत्
daṇḍanītiṃ puraskṛtya vijānannū kṣatriyaḥ sadā | anavāptaṃ ca lipseta labdhaṃ ca paripālayet ||
दंडनीतीला अग्रस्थानी ठेवून क्षत्रियाने नेहमी विवेकाने वागावे. जे अद्याप अप्राप्त आहे ते मिळविण्याचा प्रयत्न करावा आणि जे प्राप्त झाले आहे त्याचे रक्षण व पालन करावे.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should make daṇḍanīti (just governance and enforcement) his guiding framework, combining clear judgment with two duties: to pursue what is necessary but not yet secured, and to safeguard what has already been achieved.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on rājadharma. Here he summarizes a practical maxim of kingship: disciplined statecraft, strategic acquisition, and vigilant preservation of the realm’s gains.