Shloka 25
दुर्ग-निवेश-राजधर्मः | Fortified Capital and the King’s Residential Polity
Rājadharma
आश्रमेषु यथाकालं चैलभाजनभोजनम् । सदैवोपहरेद् राजा सत्कृत्याभ्यर्च्य मान्य च
āśrameṣu yathākālaṃ cailabhājanabhojanam | sadaivopahared rājā satkṛtyābhyarcya mānya ca ||
Bhishma berkata: Pada waktunya, di pertapaan-pertapaan, raja hendaklah sentiasa mempersembahkan pakaian, bekas-bekas, dan makanan; melakukannya dengan penghormatan, pemujaan yang sopan, dan penuh takzim. Dengan demikian baginda menegakkan dharma dengan menyara mereka yang tekun bertapa dan menuntut ilmu suci.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s dharma includes timely, respectful support of āśramas and venerable persons—providing essentials like clothing, utensils, and food, not as mere charity but as honored service that sustains spiritual and social welfare.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on rājadharma. Here he specifies a practical duty of governance: regularly supplying hermitages and honored ascetics with necessities, offered with proper respect and reverence.