Shloka 32
दुर्ग-निवेश-राजधर्मः | Fortified Capital and the King’s Residential Polity
Rājadharma
ते कस्याज्चिदवस्थायां शरणं शरणार्थिने । राज्ञे दद्युर्यथाकामं तापसा: संशितव्रता:,वे उत्तम व्रतका पालन करनेवाले तपस्वी शरणार्थी राजाको किसी भी अवस्थामें इच्छानुसार शरण दे सकते हैं
te kasyācid avasthāyāṃ śaraṇaṃ śaraṇārthine | rājñe dadyur yathākāmaṃ tāpasāḥ saṃśitavratāḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Dalam apa jua keadaan sekalipun, para pertapa yang teguh dan berdisiplin dalam nazar mereka boleh—menurut pertimbangan mereka sendiri—memberi perlindungan kepada seorang raja yang memohon naungan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That granting refuge (śaraṇa) to a seeker is a powerful dharmic obligation; disciplined ascetics, guided by strict vows and moral clarity, may extend protection even to a king, regardless of circumstances, when refuge is sincerely sought.
Bhishma is instructing on dharma in the Shanti Parva, stating a principle about asylum/protection: ascetics of firm vows can choose to shelter a king who comes seeking refuge, emphasizing the moral authority of tapas and the sanctity of supplication.