Shloka 23
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
ज्येष्ठानुज्येष्ठपत्नीनां भ्रातृणां पुत्रनप्तृणाम् । निग्रहानुग्रहौ पार्थ गाहस्थ्यमिति तत् तप:
jyeṣṭhānujyeṣṭhapatnīnāṃ bhrātṝṇāṃ putranaptṝṇām | nigrahānugrahau pārtha gārhasthyam iti tat tapaḥ ||
Sinabi ni Bhishma: “O Partha, ang disiplina ng buhay-maybahay ay ang pag-alam kung kailan pipigil at kung kailan magpapakita ng pagpapala—sa matatanda at sa nakababata, sa mga asawa ng nakatatanda at sa mga kamag-anak na mas bata, at sa mga kapatid, anak, at apo. Ang ganitong timbang na pamamahala sa pamilya ay siya mismong isang pag-aayuno ng loob (tapas).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Householder dharma is not merely ritual or earning a livelihood; it is the disciplined art of applying restraint (nigraha) and kindness/support (anugraha) appropriately within the family. This balanced moral governance is itself tapas (austerity).
In the Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira’s side (addressing Arjuna here as ‘Pārtha’) on dharma after the war. This verse highlights domestic ethics: how one should regulate and nurture relationships with elders, younger relatives, brothers, children, and grandchildren.