Shloka 130
रिपौ मित्रेडथ मध्यस्थे विजये संधिविग्रहे । कृतवान् यो महीपाल: कि तस्मिन् मुक्तलक्षणम्,शत्रु-मित्र और मध्यस्थके विषयमें, विजय, संधि और विग्रहके अवसरोंपर जिस भूपालने यथोचित कार्य किये हैं, उसमें जीवन्मुक्तका क्या लक्षण है?
ripau mitre'tha madhyasthē vijayē sandhi-vigrahē | kṛtavān yo mahīpālaḥ ki tasmin mukta-lakṣaṇam ||
रिपौ मित्रेऽथ मध्यस्थे विजये सन्धिविग्रहे । कृतवान् यो महीपालः किं तस्मिन् मुक्तलक्षणम् ॥
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a key inquiry of Śānti Parva: even when a ruler performs correct political duties—discerning friend, enemy, and neutral, and choosing victory, treaty, or war appropriately—liberation is not merely external success. The question points toward inner marks of freedom: non-attachment, equanimity, and dharmic intention amid action.
Bhīṣma, instructing on rājadharma and higher aims, raises a reflective question: if a king has already acted properly in diplomacy and conflict, what additional sign distinguishes him as a liberated person? It sets up discussion on the inner spiritual state alongside outward governance.