Shloka 37

राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता

Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement

Devanagari script

धर्मे स्थिता सत्त्ववीर्या धर्मसेतुवटारका । त्यागवाताध्वगा शीघ्रा नौस्तं संतारयिष्यति,राजधर्म एक नौकाके समान है। वह नौका धर्मरूपी समुद्रमें स्थित है। सत्त्वगुण ही उस नौकाका संचालन करनेवाला बल (कर्णधार) है, धर्मशास्त्र ही उसे बाँधनेवाली रस्सी है, त्यागरूपी वायुका सहारा पाकर वह मार्गपर शीघ्रतापूर्वक चलती है, वह नाव ही राजाको संसारसमुद्रसे पार कर देगी

Transliteration

dharme sthitā sattvavīryā dharmasetuvaṭārakā | tyāgavātādhvagā śīghrā naus taṃ santārayiṣyati ||

Translation

धर्मे स्थिता सत्त्ववीर्या धर्मसेतुवटारका । त्यागवाताध्वगा शीघ्रा नौस्तं संतारयिष्यति ॥

Word by Word

धर्मेin dharma

स्थिताstanding/established

सत्त्ववीर्याhaving strength/energy of sattva

धर्मसेतुवटारकाa boat whose binding/rope is the dharma-śāstra (lit. dharma-bridge/fastening-rope)

त्यागवाताध्वगाmoving by the wind of renunciation

शीघ्राswift

नौःboat

तम्him

संतारयिष्यतिwill ferry across

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

the king (rājā, implied addressee)

boat (nauḥ) as metaphor for rājadharma

Dharma (as the sustaining ocean/ground)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma teaches that a king crosses the dangers of worldly life and rule by relying on rājadharma grounded in Dharma: guided by sattva (inner virtue and clarity), secured by dharmaśāstra (normative guidance), and propelled by tyāga (renunciation of selfish gain).

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance, Bhishma continues advising the king on the foundations of righteous rule, using an extended boat metaphor to show how virtue, scripture, and renunciation together enable safe and successful kingship.