Shloka 26
दुर्ग-निवेश-राजधर्मः | Fortified Capital and the King’s Residential Polity
Rājadharma
राजा आश्रमोंमें यथासमय वस्त्र, बर्तन और भोजन आदि सामग्री सदा ही भेजा करे, तथा सबको सत्कार, पूजन एवं सम्मानपूर्वक वे वस्तुएँ अर्पित करे ।।
rājā āśrameṣu yathāsamayaṃ vastra-bhājana-bhojanādi-sāmagrīṃ sadaiva preṣayet, tathā sarvān satkāra-pūjana-sammāna-pūrvakaṃ tāni vastūni arpayet. ātmānaṃ sarva-kāryāṇi tāpase rāṣṭram eva ca nivedayet prayatnena, tiṣṭhet praṇataḥ sarvadā.
Bhishma berkata: Pada waktunya, raja hendaklah terus-menerus menghantar ke pertapaan bekalan seperti pakaian, bekas-bekas, dan makanan. Baginda hendaklah mempersembahkan pemberian itu dengan layanan tetamu, pemujaan yang penuh hormat, dan kemuliaan. Selain itu, baginda hendaklah dengan tekun memaklumkan kepada para pertapa dalam negeri tentang hal diri baginda, segala urusan pemerintahan, dan keadaan kerajaan; serta sentiasa berdiri di hadapan mereka dengan rendah hati dan penuh takzim.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Royal authority should be exercised with reverence and accountability: the king must materially support ascetics and hermitages, and he must remain humble, regularly informing them about personal conduct, state affairs, and the kingdom’s condition—treating spiritual discipline as a guiding check on political power.
In Bhishma’s instruction on rajadharma in the Shanti Parva, he advises the ruler on practical and ethical conduct: sending regular provisions to hermitages, offering them respectfully, and maintaining a deferential relationship with the realm’s ascetics by reporting affairs and standing before them with humility.