Shloka 60
राजधर्मः—प्रमादवर्जनं, दण्डनीतिः, दुर्बलरक्षणम्
Royal Dharma: Vigilance, Just Punishment, Protection of the Vulnerable
भवानपि तथा सम्यड्मान्धातेव महीपते । धर्म कृत्वा महीं रक्ष स्वर्गे स्थानमवाप्स्यसि,पृथ्वीनाथ! मान्धाताकी ही भाँति तुम भी अच्छी तरह धर्मका पालन करते हुए इस पृथ्वीकी रक्षा करो; फिर तुम भी स्वर्गलोकमें स्थान प्राप्त कर लोगे
bhavān api tathā samyag māndhāteva mahīpate | dharmaṃ kṛtvā mahīṃ rakṣa svarge sthānam avāpsyasi pṛthvīnātha |
Бхишма сказал: «О царь, и ты—подобно Мандхатрі—должен праведно утверждать дхарму и охранять эту землю. Исполняя так свой царский долг, ты обретёшь место на небесах, о владыка страны».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s path to merit is not withdrawal but the proper performance of rajadharma: upholding dharma and protecting the realm and its people. Bhishma frames kingship as a moral obligation whose faithful execution leads to spiritual reward (svarga).
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance and ethics, Bhishma addresses the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) and urges him to rule righteously. He cites Māndhātṛ as a model monarch and exhorts the listener to protect the earth in the same dharmic manner, promising heavenly attainment as the fruit of such duty.