Shloka 29
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
देशधर्माश्व कौन्तेय कुलधर्मास्तथैव च । पालयन् पुरुषव्याप्र राजा सर्वाश्रमी भवेत्,कुन्तीकुमार! पुरुषसिंह! देशधर्म और कुलधर्मका पालन करनेवाला राजा सभी आश्रमोंके पुण्यफलका भागी होता है
deśadharmāṃś ca kaunteya kuladharmāṃs tathaiva ca | pālayan puruṣavyāghra rājā sarvāśramī bhavet ||
Bhishma disse: «Ó Kaunteya, tigre entre os homens—quando um rei sustenta os dharmas da terra e, do mesmo modo, os dharmas das linhagens nobres, torna-se partícipe do mérito de todos os āśramas.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king who protects both regional customs (deśa-dharma) and lineage-based duties (kula-dharma) sustains the entire social-religious order; therefore he is said to share in the merit generated by all four āśramas.
In the Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on rajadharma. Here he emphasizes that rightful kingship consists in preserving established dharmic norms of the realm and families, linking governance to the moral economy of puṇya.