Shloka 84
Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
व्याधयो न भवन्त्यत्र नाल्पायुर्दृश्यते नर: । विधवा न भवन्त्यत्र कृपणो न तु जायते
vyādhayo na bhavanty atra nālpāyur dṛśyate naraḥ | vidhavā na bhavanty atra kṛpaṇo na tu jāyate ||
भीष्म उवाच— व्याधयो न भवन्त्यत्र नाल्पायुर्दृश्यते नरः । विधवा न भवन्त्यत्र कृपणो न तु जायते ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma describes the marks of a dharmic, well-ordered realm: health, longevity, social security (no widowhood), and the absence of miserly, degraded dispositions—suggesting that righteous governance and collective merit manifest as both physical well-being and moral quality in society.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and governance, Bhīṣma is portraying an exemplary country/condition of life, listing its visible signs—freedom from disease, long life, stable family life, and the birth of noble-minded people.