Shloka 161
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
नास्त्यसाधारणो राजा नास्ति राज्यमराजकम् | राज्येडसति कुतो धर्मो धर्मेडसति कुत: परम्
nāsty asādhāraṇo rājā nāsti rājyam arājakam | rājyed asati kuto dharmo dharmed asati kutaḥ param ||
Bhīṣma menegaskan: “Tiada raja yang dapat berdiri terpisah daripada tertib umum rakyat, dan tiada kerajaan yang mampu bertahan tanpa raja. Jika tiada pemerintahan yang teguh, bagaimana dharma dapat ditegakkan? Dan jika dharma runtuh, bagaimana mungkin mencapai Yang Maha Tertinggi?”
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma depends on stable governance: without a ruler and an ordered polity, social and moral life deteriorate; and without dharma, the highest spiritual attainment (the Supreme) becomes inaccessible.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on statecraft and ethics, Bhīṣma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira that kingship and political order are not merely administrative but foundational for protecting dharma and enabling the people’s pursuit of the highest good.