Shloka 100
Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
प्रवर्तनाद् द्वापरस्य यथाभागमुपाश्षुते । कले: प्रवर्तनादू राजा पापमत्यन्तमश्लुते,द्वापकका प्रसार करनेसे वह अपने पुण्यके अनुसार कुछ कालतक स्वर्गका सुख भोगता है; परंतु कलियुगकी सृष्टि करनेसे राजाको अत्यन्त पापका भागी होना पड़ता है
pravartanād dvāparasya yathābhāgam upāśnute | kaleḥ pravartanād rājā pāpam atyantam aśnute ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Dengan menggerakkan zaman Dvāpara, seorang raja menikmati kebahagiaan syurga untuk suatu tempoh menurut kadar kebajikannya. Tetapi dengan melahirkan zaman Kali, raja menjadi penanggung bahagian dosa yang amat besar.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler bears moral responsibility for the conditions he sets in motion: initiating a relatively righteous order yields merit and heavenly enjoyment proportionate to one’s virtue, whereas initiating an age of decline (Kali) makes the ruler liable to grave sin.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, Bhīṣma explains to the king that the consequences of a ruler’s actions can be epochal: promoting a better social-moral order brings merit, while unleashing degeneration brings heavy demerit.