Shloka 7

दुर्ग-निवेश-राजधर्मः | Fortified Capital and the King’s Residential Polity

Rājadharma

Devanagari script

विद्वांस: शिल्पिनो यत्र निचयाश्न सुसंचिता: । धार्मिकश्न जनो यत्र दाक्ष्यमुत्तममास्थित:

Transliteration

vidvāṁsaḥ śilpino yatra nicayāś ca su-saṁcitāḥ | dhārmikaś ca jano yatra dākṣyam uttamam āsthitaḥ ||

Translation

ఎక్కడ పండితులు, శిల్పులు ఉంటారో, మరియు ధన-ధాన్యాది నిల్వలు బాగా సమకూర్చబడి ఉంటాయో; అక్కడ ప్రజలు ధార్మికులు, అలాగే ఉత్తమ కార్యదక్షత దృఢంగా స్థాపితమై ఉంటుంది.

Word by Word

विद्वांसःlearned men

शिल्पिनःartisans, craftsmen

यत्रwhere

निचयाःstores, accumulations

चand

सुसञ्चिताःwell-stored, well-collected

धार्मिकःrighteous, virtuous

चand

जनःpeople, populace

यत्रwhere

दाक्ष्यम्skill, competence

उत्तमम्excellent, best

आस्थितःhas adopted, is established in

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

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?

A well-ordered society harmonizes knowledge (vidvān), productive skill (śilpin), material security (well-stored reserves), and moral conduct (dhārmika jana). Prosperity is presented as stable when grounded in dharma and competence.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on principles of peace-time rule and social welfare. Here he describes features of a flourishing realm: learned and skilled citizens, secure resources, and a populace committed to righteousness and effective action.