Shloka 16
दुर्ग-निवेश-राजधर्मः | Fortified Capital and the King’s Residential Polity
Rājadharma
सत्कृताश्च प्रयत्नेन आचार्यर्त्विकुपुरोहिता: । महेष्वासा: स्थपतय: सांवत्सरचिकित्सका:
satkṛtāś ca prayatnena ācārya-ṛtvij-purohitāḥ | maheṣvāsāḥ sthapatayaḥ sāṁvatsara-cikitsakāḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Dengan usaha yang bersungguh-sungguh, hendaklah dihormati dan disambut dengan sewajarnya para guru (ācārya), para pendeta pelaksana upacara (ṛtvij), dan pendeta rumah tangga (purohita); demikian juga para pemanah agung, tukang binaan utama, ahli nujum yang menghitung tahun dan hasilnya, serta para tabib. Sesungguhnya, kehidupan dan kerajaan yang teratur berdiri atas penghormatan kepada mereka yang menegakkan masyarakat melalui ilmu, tugas ritual, perlindungan, pertukangan, perhitungan waktu, dan penyembuhan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A dhārmic ruler or householder should consciously honor key bearers of knowledge and public welfare—teachers, priests, chaplains, defenders (great archers), builders, time-reckoners/astrologers, and physicians—because their expertise sustains moral, ritual, and practical stability in society.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira by listing categories of respected professionals and urging their proper reception and support as part of righteous conduct and statecraft.