Shloka 22
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
चराचराणां भूतानां रक्षणं चापि सर्वश: । यथा्हपूजां च तथा कुर्वन् गा्हस्थ्यमावसेत्,चराचर प्राणियोंकी सब प्रकारसे रक्षा तथा उनकी यथायोग्य पूजा करनेवाले पुरुषको गार्हस्थ्य-सेवनका फल प्राप्त होता है
carācarāṇāṁ bhūtānāṁ rakṣaṇaṁ cāpi sarvaśaḥ | yathārhapūjāṁ ca tathā kurvan gārhasthyam āvaset ||
Bhishma berkata: “Sesiapa yang dengan segala cara melindungi semua makhluk—yang bergerak dan yang tidak bergerak—serta memberikan kepada mereka penghormatan dan takzim yang sewajarnya, dialah yang benar-benar menjalani kehidupan rumah tangga dan memperoleh buah gārhasthya: menegakkan dunia melalui penjagaan, tanggungjawab, dan khidmat yang penuh hormat kepada kehidupan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The true fruit of the householder life is gained not merely by maintaining a home, but by actively protecting all beings and honoring them appropriately—making one’s domestic life a moral support-system for the wider world.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira about righteous conduct. Here he defines gārhasthya in ethical terms: the householder sustains society through protection, care, and respectful treatment of all forms of life.