Shloka 70
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
रक्षणं चैव पौराणां राष्ट्रस्य च विवर्धनम् । मण्डलस्था च या चिन्ता राजन् द्वादशराजिका
rakṣaṇaṃ caiva paurāṇāṃ rāṣṭrasya ca vivardhanam | maṇḍalasthā ca yā cintā rājan dvādaśarājikā ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai Raja, risalah ini juga menghuraikan perlindungan penduduk kota, pengukuhan serta peluasan wilayah, dan pertimbangan strategi yang berkaitan dengan mandala negeri-negeri—iaitu doktrin tentang dua belas faktor diraja.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s dharma includes safeguarding citizens, strengthening the state, and engaging in prudent strategic deliberation about the wider political circle (maṇḍala). Governance is presented as both ethical responsibility (protection and welfare) and intelligent policy (mandala-based counsel).
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on rājadharma. Here he notes that the discussed compendium includes guidance on protecting urban subjects, promoting the realm’s prosperity, and the strategic doctrine connected with the ‘twelvefold’ royal/political considerations.