Shloka 11
Kṣātra-dharma as the Public Foundation of Dharma (क्षात्रधर्म-प्रशंसा)
यश्न त्रयाणां वर्णानामिच्छेदाश्रमसेवनम् । चातुराश्रम्यदृष्टांश्न॒ धर्मास्तान् शृणु पाण्डव
Bhīṣma uvāca: yas triṇāṁ varṇānām icched āśrama-sevanam | cāturāśramya-dṛṣṭāṁś ca dharmās tān śṛṇu pāṇḍava ||
Bhishma berkata: Wahai Pandava, jika seorang raja menghendaki agar tiga varna—Brahmin, Kshatriya dan Vaishya—mengamalkan dengan sempurna disiplin āśrama sebagaimana diajarkan oleh śāstra, maka dengarlah: akan aku huraikan kewajipan-kewajipan yang bermanfaat menurut sistem empat āśrama.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king who seeks a stable and righteous realm should ensure that the three varṇas follow scripturally grounded āśrama-duties; Bhishma introduces the general dharmas that support the four-āśrama system as a framework for social and ethical order.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Bhishma continues instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he signals a transition: he is about to outline the duties relevant to the four āśramas, aimed especially at guiding royal governance and public conduct.