Shloka 78
आपद्धर्मे वैश्यवृत्तिः, विक्रय-निषेधाः, तथा ब्रह्म-क्षत्र-सम्बन्धः
Emergency Livelihood, Prohibited Trade, and Brahman–Kshatra Regulation
जो सदा सत्पुरुषोंकी रक्षा करे तथा दुष्टोंको दण्ड देकर दुष्कर्म करनेसे रोके, उसे ही राजा बनाना चाहिये; क्योंकि उसीके द्वारा यह सम्पूर्ण जगत् सुरक्षित होता है ।।
yo sadā satpuruṣāṇāṁ rakṣāṁ kuryāt tathā duṣṭān daṇḍayitvā duṣkṛtaṁ kartuṁ nivārayet, tam eva rājānaṁ kartavyaṁ; yatas tasyaiva dvārā idaṁ samastaṁ jagat surakṣitaṁ bhavati.
Bhīṣma disse: “Deve-se nomear rei aquele que protege constantemente os virtuosos e que, punindo os perversos, os refreia de praticar o mal. Pois é por meio de tal governante que o mundo inteiro se mantém seguro.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A legitimate king is defined by two complementary duties: protecting the virtuous and using lawful punishment (daṇḍa) to deter the wicked from wrongdoing. Public security and moral order depend on this balanced exercise of protection and restraint.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on royal duty (rājadharma), Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on the qualifications and responsibilities of a ruler, concluding that the world’s safety rests on a king who safeguards the good and disciplines the bad.