Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 67
गुरुरुवाच । संधिविग्रहयानास्ति सं श्रयं द्वैधभावनम् । यथा स राजा संवेत्ति न तथात्रापि कश्चन
gururuvāca | saṃdhivigrahayānāsti saṃ śrayaṃ dvaidhabhāvanam | yathā sa rājā saṃvetti na tathātrāpi kaścana
Guru bersabda: “Tentang perdamaian dan permusuhan, berangkat berarak dan berdiam, mencari perlindungan dan memegang siasat dua hala—tiada seorang pun di sini memahaminya sebagaimana raja itu memahaminya.”
Bṛhaspati / Gīṣpati (Guru of the Devas) (explicit: gururuvāca; supported by later mention of gīṣpati)
Listener: Assembly (gods/court)
Scene: A venerable Guru addressing an assembly, enumerating the six policies; the king is portrayed as uniquely adept, while others listen in humbled silence.
FAQs
True rājadharma is not mere power but clear discernment—knowing when to reconcile, resist, move, or remain steady.
The verse sits within Kāśī-khaṇḍa’s sacred narrative frame, indirectly supporting Kāśī’s mahātmya through exemplary dharma in its sphere.
No ritual is prescribed; the passage teaches principles of governance aligned with dharma.