Shloka 38

Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)

Devanagari script

महाभारत &«€ ७» कक राजासे हीन प्रजाकी ब्रह्माजीसे राजाके लिये प्रार्थना यात्राकालाश्ष चत्वारस्त्रिवर्गस्थ च विस्तर: । विजयो धर्मयुक्तश्व तथार्थविजयश्व ह

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | mahābhārate 'smin granthe prajāyā rājahīnatve brahmaṇā rājñe kṛtā prārthanā yātrākālāś ca catvāras trivaragasya ca vistaraḥ | vijayo dharmayuktaś ca tathārthavijaya eva ca āsuravijayaś ca | śatrūṇām upari yātrāyāś catvāraḥ kālāḥ, trivaragasya vistaraḥ, dharmavijayaḥ, arthavijayaḥ, āsuravijayaś ca—etad api granthe pūrṇarūpeṇa varṇitam | mantrī rāṣṭra durga senā kośa iti pañcavargāṇāṃ uttama-madhyama-adhama-bhedena trividha-lakṣaṇam api pratipāditam ||

Translation

Bhishma berkata: Dalam Mahabharata ini dihuraikan dengan lengkap bagaimana, ketika rakyat ditinggalkan tanpa raja, Brahma berdoa agar wujudnya institusi pemerintahan beraja. Ia juga menetapkan empat waktu yang wajar untuk raja melancarkan ekspedisi terhadap musuh, serta menerangkan dengan terperinci tiga tujuan hidup (trivarga). Selain itu, ia membezakan jenis-jenis kemenangan—kemenangan berlandaskan dharma, kemenangan yang ditujukan kepada artha (keuntungan/kekuasaan duniawi), dan kemenangan yang bersifat asurik (tidak benar). Ia juga menetapkan ukuran tiga tingkat—unggul, sederhana, dan rendah—bagi lima tonggak sesebuah kerajaan: menteri, wilayah/negara, kubu, angkatan tentera, dan perbendaharaan.

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'bhīṣma uvāca', 'definition': '‘Bhishma said’

• the speaker marker'}, {'term': 'prajā', 'definition': 'subjects, the people of the realm'}, {'term': 'rāja-hīnatva', 'definition': 'the condition of being without a king

• absence of kingship'}, {'term': 'brahmā', 'definition': 'Brahma

• the creator deity, here linked with instituting kingship'}, {'term': 'prārthanā', 'definition': 'prayer, supplication'}, {'term': 'yātrā-kāla', 'definition': 'time/occasion for a campaign or expedition'}, {'term': 'trivarga', 'definition': 'the triad of human aims: dharma, artha, kāma'}, {'term': 'vistara', 'definition': 'detailed exposition, expansion'}, {'term': 'vijaya', 'definition': 'victory

• success in conquest or policy'}, {'term': 'dharma-yukta', 'definition': 'aligned with dharma

• ethically legitimate'}, {'term': 'artha-vijaya', 'definition': 'victory pursued for material/political gain (artha)'}, {'term': 'āsura-vijaya', 'definition': 'asuric victory

• victory by unrighteous, cruel, or impious means'}, {'term': 'mantrī', 'definition': 'minister, counselor'}, {'term': 'rāṣṭra', 'definition': 'the realm/territory and its populace

• the state'}, {'term': 'durga', 'definition': 'fortress

• defensive stronghold'}, {'term': 'senā', 'definition': 'army'}, {'term': 'kośa', 'definition': 'treasury

• financial resources'}, {'term': 'uttama / madhyama / adhama', 'definition': 'superior / middling / inferior (grades of quality)'}, {'term': 'lakṣaṇa', 'definition': 'defining marks

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Brahma
• king (rājā)
• subjects (prajā)
• minister (mantrī)
• realm (rāṣṭra)
• fortress (durga)
• army (senā)
• treasury (kośa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames kingship as a dharma-protecting institution: it outlines ethical categories of victory and teaches that a kingdom’s strength depends on evaluating its five pillars—minister, realm, fort, army, and treasury—by clear standards of quality.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma, instructing on rajadharma in the Shanti Parva, points to what the Mahabharata itself contains: the origin-idea of kingship (Brahma’s prayer when people lacked a king), guidance on when to undertake campaigns, the exposition of the trivarga, and classifications of victory and state components.