Shloka 72
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
धर्मश्चनार्थश्व॒ कामश्न मोक्षश्षात्रानुवर्णिता: | उपायाश्चार्थलिप्सा च विविधा भूरिदक्षिण
dharmaś cānārthaś ca kāmaś ca mokṣaś cātra anūvarṇitāḥ | upāyāś cārthalipsā ca vividhā bhūridakṣiṇa ||
Bhishma berkata: Dalam risalah ini dihuraikan dharma dan artha, kāma dan mokṣa juga—berserta jalan untuk mencapainya—dan juga pelbagai bentuk ketamakan terhadap harta. Wahai Yudhiṣṭhira, yang masyhur dengan kurnia yang melimpah, segala perkara ini diterangkan sebagai pedoman bagi hidup yang benar dan pemerintahan yang bijaksana.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma frames the instruction as comprehensive: it covers the four puruṣārthas—dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa—along with the practical means to pursue them, while also warning that the pursuit of artha can slide into artha-lipsā (greed). The ethical point is to seek prosperity and pleasure under the governance of dharma, without being mastered by craving.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs King Yudhiṣṭhira after the war, offering guidance on righteous rule and right living. Here he signals that the discourse/text includes teachings on all major human aims and the methods to attain them, addressing Yudhiṣṭhira as 'bhūri-dakṣiṇa' (generous giver) to connect the lesson to royal responsibility and charity.