Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 6
Dāna–Tapaḥ Praśaṃsā and Gṛhastha-Upadeśa
Maitreya
भीष्म उवाच सो<प्यरण्यमनुप्राप्य पुनरेव युधिष्ठिर । महर्षेर्वचनं श्रुत्वा प्रजा धर्मेण पाल्य च
bhīṣma uvāca: so 'py araṇyam anuprāpya punar eva yudhiṣṭhira | maharṣer vacanaṃ śrutvā prajā dharmeṇa pālya ca ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “O Yudhiṣṭhira, pinakamainam sa mga hari! Ang nilalang na iyon—na dating uod—nang muling makarating sa gubat, nakinig sa aral ng dakilang rishi at pagkaraan ay namahala at nag-ingat sa bayan ayon sa dharma. Pagkatapos, bumalik siyang muli sa gubat at di naglaon ay pumanaw patungo sa kabilang daigdig; at sa bisa ng dharma ng pagprotekta sa mga nasasakupan, siya’y muling isinilang sa angkan ng mga brāhmaṇa.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights rājadharma: a ruler’s foremost ethical duty is to protect and sustain the people according to dharma. Such righteous governance is presented as spiritually potent, yielding auspicious results even beyond death (karmaphala leading to higher rebirth).
Bhishma recounts that a being from a previous state (described in the surrounding context as a former creature) goes to the forest, hears a great sage’s counsel, then rules and protects the subjects righteously. After returning to the forest, he dies and, due to the merit of that dharma of protecting subjects, attains rebirth in a brāhmaṇa family.