Shloka 22
Śānti Parva 116: Criteria for Royal Servants and Administrative Competence (भृत्य-गुण-प्रश्नः / राजसेवक-लक्षणम्)
व्यवहारक्ष नगरे यस्य कर्मफलोदय: । दृश्यते शंखलिखित: स धर्मफलभाडू नृप:
vyavahārakṣa nagare yasya karmaphalodayaḥ | dṛśyate śaṅkhalikhitaḥ sa dharmaphalabhāg nṛpaḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: Raja itu dianggap turut berkongsi buah Dharma apabila di kotanya dapat dilihat pentadbiran keadilan yang teratur—sebagaimana dihimpunkan oleh para resi Śaṅkha dan Likhita—di mana hasil ditetapkan menurut perbuatan setiap insan. Pahala pemerintah terletak pada pemeliharaan tertib awam yang menjadikan hukum sebab-akibat moral berkesan melalui pemerintahan yang adil.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler gains merit not merely by personal piety but by sustaining a just legal order in which people receive outcomes aligned with their actions; upholding fair, dharma-based administration makes the king a participant in the fruits of Dharma.
In Bhishma’s instruction on royal duty in the Śānti Parva, he praises the king whose city visibly follows the judicial norms attributed to the sages Śaṅkha and Likhita, ensuring that justice and karmic accountability are effectively realized through governance.