Shloka 15

Devanagari script

प्रजा: पालयतो<सम्यगधर्मेणेह भूपते: । हार्द भयं सम्भवति स्वर्गक्षास्य विरुद्धयते,जो राजा अन्याय एवं अधर्मपूर्वक प्रजाका पालन करता है, उसके हृदयमें भय बना रहता है तथा उसका परलोक भी बिगड़ जाता है

Transliteration

prajāḥ pālayato 'samyag dharmeṇeha bhūpateḥ | hārda-bhayaṃ sambhavati svargakṣāsyā viruddhyate ||

Translation

Bhishma berkata: “Wahai raja, apabila seorang pemerintah memelihara rakyatnya dengan cara yang tidak wajar dan tidak menurut dharma, maka ketakutan batin timbul di dalam hatinya; dan harapannya akan syurga serta kesejahteraan di alam kemudian pun terhalang.”

Word by Word

प्रजाःsubjects, people

पालयतःprotects, governs

सम्यक्properly, rightly

धर्मेणby/with dharma, by righteousness

इहhere, in this world

भूपतेःof the king

हार्दम्of the heart, inward

भयम्fear

सम्भवतिarises, occurs

स्वर्गक्षयःloss of heaven (loss of merit leading to heaven)

अस्यof him, his

विरुध्यतेis obstructed/ruined, goes against (him)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

king (bhūpati)

subjects (prajāḥ)

svarga (heaven)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A king who governs without dharma cannot remain inwardly secure: wrongdoing breeds fear in the heart, and it also destroys the ruler’s spiritual merit and prospects in the next world.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhishma is advising the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) that unjust, adharmic rule harms both the ruler’s inner peace and his posthumous welfare.