Shloka 16
Kṣātra-dharma as the Public Foundation of Dharma (क्षात्रधर्म-प्रशंसा)
वेदानधीत्य धर्मेण राजशास्त्राणि चानघ । संतानादीनि कर्माणि कृत्वा सोम॑ निषेव्य च
vedān adhītya dharmeṇa rājaśāstrāṇi cānagha | santānādīni karmāṇi kṛtvā somaṁ niṣevya ca ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai raja yang tidak berdosa, seorang pemerintah hendaklah terlebih dahulu mempelajari Veda dan ilmu pemerintahan raja dalam semangat dharma. Sesudah itu, setelah menunaikan kewajipan bermula dengan memperoleh zuriat, hendaklah ia menikmati Soma dalam upacara korban. Dengan berlandaskan ilmu suci dan kelakuan yang sah menurut dharma, barulah ia layak memelihara rakyatnya dan menempuh jalan diraja menuju kemakmuran yang benar.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s authority must rest on disciplined study and dharma: first master the Vedas and political-royal science, then perform household and sacrificial duties (including Soma rites). Legitimate rule is portrayed as an outgrowth of learning, self-restraint, and prescribed obligation.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhishma addresses the king (Yudhiṣṭhira in the broader context) and lays out a sequence for royal life: education in sacred and political knowledge, fulfillment of lineage and ritual responsibilities, and thereby becoming qualified to govern righteously.