Shloka 18
जनकस्य युद्धोपदेशः — Janaka’s Instruction on Steadfast Battle-Conduct
न हि शौर्यात् परं किंचित् त्रिषु लोकेषु विद्यते | शूर: सर्व पालयति सर्व शूरे प्रतेष्ठितम्
na hi śauryāt paraṃ kiñcit triṣu lokeṣu vidyate | śūraḥ sarvaṃ pālayati sarvaṃ śūre pratiṣṭhitam ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Nos três mundos não há nada mais elevado do que o valor. O verdadeiramente valente protege a todos, e toda a ordem do mundo repousa sobre os bravos.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Valor (śaurya) is presented as a supreme civic virtue because it enables protection (pālana). Without the courageous, society and dharma cannot be safeguarded; hence the world’s stability is said to rest on the brave.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, Bhīṣma addresses Yudhiṣṭhira and praises the role of the śūra (the courageous protector), emphasizing that public order and welfare depend on such guardianship.