Shloka 42
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
एष ते विविधो धर्म: पाण्डवश्रेष्ठ कीर्तित: । अनुतिष्ठ त्वमेनं वै पूर्वदृष्टं सनातनम्,पाण्डवश्रेष्ठ! यह तुम्हारे लिये नाना प्रकारका धर्म बताया गया है। पूर्वजोंद्वारा आचरित इस सनातन-धर्मका तुम पालन करो
eṣa te vividhō dharmaḥ pāṇḍavaśreṣṭha kīrtitaḥ | anutiṣṭha tvam enaṁ vai pūrvadṛṣṭaṁ sanātanam ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Ó melhor dos Pāṇḍavas, assim te expus o caminho do dharma em seus muitos aspectos. Deves praticar fielmente este dharma eterno, o mesmo que os antigos viram e seguiram.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma urges Yudhiṣṭhira to not merely hear dharma as theory but to live it—embracing a comprehensive, many-faceted righteousness grounded in the enduring standards practiced by the elders and validated by long tradition.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma—lying on the bed of arrows—continues instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on rājadharma and broader ethical duties. Here he concludes or sums up a section by saying he has explained diverse forms of dharma and exhorts Yudhiṣṭhira to practice that ancient, eternal code.