Shloka 7
राजधर्मस्य नवनीतम्—रक्षा, दण्ड, चार, उत्थान
Rājadharma’s ‘Essence’: Protection, Punishment, Intelligence, and Royal Diligence
केतनानां च जीर्णानामवेक्षा चैव सीदताम् । द्विविधस्य च दण्डस्य प्रयोग: कालचोदित:
ketanānāṃ ca jīrṇānām avekṣā caiva sīdatām | dvividhasya ca daṇḍasya prayogaḥ kālacoditaḥ, yudhiṣṭhira |
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “Lingapin ang mga gawang-bayan na luma at nanganganib masira, at ang mga taong nalulugmok sa paghihirap. At, O Yudhiṣṭhira, ipatupad ang parusa sa dalawang anyo—sa katawan at sa yaman—sa tamang panahon, ayon sa hinihingi ng kalagayan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king must combine welfare and discipline: maintain decaying infrastructure and care for the distressed, while enforcing punishment in a timely, proportionate way—both through physical penalties and financial penalties—according to circumstances.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on practical duties of rulership, emphasizing oversight of public conditions and the judicious, time-appropriate use of royal punishment.