Shloka 30
अध्याय ७२ — राजधर्मः: प्रजारक्षण, कर-नीति, दण्ड-नीति, अमात्य-नियोजन
Chapter 72 — Royal Duty: protection of subjects, taxation, punishment, and appointments
स्विष्टि: स्वधीति: सुतपा लोकाञज्जयति यावत: । क्षणेन तानवाप्रोति प्रजा धर्मेण पालयन्
sviṣṭiḥ svadhītiḥ sutapā lokāñ jayati yāvataḥ | kṣaṇena tān avāpnoti prajā dharmeṇa pālayan ||
उत्तम यज्ञाने गृहस्थधर्म, श्रेष्ठ स्वाध्यायाने ब्रह्मचर्य आणि उत्तम तपाने वानप्रस्थधर्म पाळणारा पुरुष जितके पुण्यलोक जिंकतो, तितके धर्मपूर्वक प्रजेचे पालन करणारा राजा क्षणात प्राप्त करतो.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Righteous protection and governance of the people (prajā-pālana) is a supreme dharmic act whose spiritual fruit equals the merit of sacrifice, Vedic study, and austerity—and is said to be attained even more swiftly by a just king.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on śānti and rāja-dharma, he contrasts the merits of the āśrama disciplines (yajña, svādhyāya, tapas) with the king’s duty, asserting that a ruler who upholds dharma by protecting subjects gains the same exalted worlds immediately.