Shloka 136
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
शुभं हि कर्म राजेन्द्र शुभत्वायोपकल्पते । तुल्यस्यैकस्य यस्यायं लोको वचसि तिछते
śubhaṃ hi karma rājendra śubhatvāyopakalpate | tulyasyaikasya yasyāyaṃ loko vacasi tiṣṭhate ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai raja yang terbaik, sesungguhnya perbuatan baik membawa kepada kebaikan dan menghasilkan natijah yang berkat. Dan sungguh menghairankan: walaupun dia hanya seorang insan seperti yang lain, seluruh dunia tetap berdiri taat kepada titah raja yang satu itu.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Good actions naturally lead to good outcomes, and righteous kingship has a unique social power: even one person, when invested with legitimate authority and dharma, can hold the many in orderly obedience.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on governance and moral conduct, emphasizing both the fruit of auspicious action and the remarkable capacity of a king’s command to organize society.