Shloka 26
काले धुरि च युक्तानां वहतां भारमाहितम् । सीदतामपि कौन्तेय न कीर्तिरवसीदति,कुन्तीनन्दन! यथासमय भार वहन करनेमें लगाये गये पुरुषोंपर जो राज्य आदिका भार रख दिया जाता है, उसे वहन करते समय यद्यपि कष्ट उठाना पड़ता है तथापि उससे उन पुरुषोंकी कीर्ति चिरस्थायी होती है, उसका कभी क्षय नहीं होता
kāle dhuri ca yuktānāṁ vahatāṁ bhāram āhitam | sīdatām api kaunteya na kīrtir avasīdati ||
भीष्म उवाच—कौन्तेय, काले धुरि नियुक्तानां ये भारमाहितं वहन्ति, ते वहन्तोऽपि सीदन्ति; तथापि तेषां कीर्तिर्नावसीदति। युक्त्या धुरं वहतः कीर्तिः स्थिरा भवति।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Rightly undertaken responsibility may cause hardship, but steadfastly bearing it preserves and increases one’s kīrti (enduring fame). Dharma-based effort yields lasting moral reputation even when the work is heavy.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and governance. Here he uses the image of being yoked to a burden to counsel that rulers and responsible persons should not shrink from assigned duties, because such endurance secures lasting renown.