Shloka 20
राजधर्मः—प्रजापालनं दानयज्ञश्च
Royal Duty—Protection of Subjects, Generosity, and Sacrificial Discipline
वृत्तं तु स्वमपेक्षस्व पितृपैतामहोचितम् । नैव राज्ञां तथा वृत्तं यथा त्वं स्थातुमिच्छसि
vṛttaṃ tu svam apekṣasva pitṛpaitāmaho-citam | naiva rājñāṃ tathā vṛttaṃ yathā tvaṃ sthātum icchasi ||
Bhishma berkata: “Lihatlah pada tata laku yang wajar bagimu—yang sesuai dengan tradisi ayah dan datukmu. Cara hidup yang engkau inginkan itu, sesungguhnya bukanlah perilaku yang layak bagi raja-raja.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should align his personal lifestyle and choices with the established standards of royal dharma—conduct proven and sanctioned by ancestral tradition—rather than following a private preference that undermines the dignity and duties of kingship.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance and dharma, Bhishma admonishes the listener (a king/ruler) to measure himself against the proper, inherited code of conduct for kings, warning that the way he wishes to live does not match what is fitting for royalty.