Shloka 17
Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
उच्छिद्यमानमात्मान ज्ञात्वा राजा महामति: । पूर्वापकारिणो हन्याल्लोकद्विष्टांश्व॒ सर्वश:,यदि यह पता लग जाय कि कोई हमारा उच्छेद कर रहा है, तो परम बुद्धिमान् राजा पहलेके अपकारियोंको तथा जनताके साथ द्वेष रखनेवालोंको भी सर्वथा नष्ट कर दे
ucchidyamānam ātmānaṃ jñātvā rājā mahāmatiḥ | pūrvāpakāriṇo hanyāl lokadviṣṭāṃś ca sarvaśaḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: Apabila seorang raja yang sangat bijaksana menyedari bahawa kewujudannya sendiri sedang diputuskan—takhta dan nyawanya menjadi sasaran—maka hendaklah dia dengan tegas melenyapkan mereka yang dahulu pernah mencelakakannya, dan juga mereka yang memendam kebencian terhadap rakyat, dengan membasmi mereka hingga ke akar umbi.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A prudent king must protect the realm and the people by decisively neutralizing those who threaten his existence and those who are hostile to public welfare; punishment here is presented as a duty of governance (rājadharma), not personal vengeance.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on royal conduct, Bhishma advises on how a ruler should respond when he learns of plots or forces aiming at his destruction: he should act firmly against prior offenders and public-haters to prevent wider harm.