Shloka 7
राजधर्मस्य नवनीतम्—रक्षा, दण्ड, चार, उत्थान
Rājadharma’s ‘Essence’: Protection, Punishment, Intelligence, and Royal Diligence
केतनानां च जीर्णानामवेक्षा चैव सीदताम् । द्विविधस्य च दण्डस्य प्रयोग: कालचोदित:
ketanānāṃ ca jīrṇānām avekṣā caiva sīdatām | dvividhasya ca daṇḍasya prayogaḥ kālacoditaḥ, yudhiṣṭhira |
Bhīṣma disse: “Atenta para as obras públicas gastas e em decadência, e para aqueles que estão a afundar-se na aflição. E, ó Yudhiṣṭhira, aplica a punição nas suas duas formas—corporal e pecuniária—no tempo devido, conforme as circunstâncias o imponham.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king must combine welfare and discipline: maintain decaying infrastructure and care for the distressed, while enforcing punishment in a timely, proportionate way—both through physical penalties and financial penalties—according to circumstances.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on practical duties of rulership, emphasizing oversight of public conditions and the judicious, time-appropriate use of royal punishment.