Shloka 105
Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
तस्मात् कौरव्य धर्मेण प्रजा: पालय नीतिमान् । एवं वृत्त: प्रजा रक्षन् स्वर्ग जेतासि दुर्जयम्
tasmāt kauravya dharmeṇa prajāḥ pālaya nītimān | evaṁ vṛttaḥ prajā rakṣan svargaṁ jetāsi durjayam ||
Kaya, O Kauravya, bilang isang pinamumunuan ng wastong nīti, pangalagaan mo ang bayan ayon sa dharma, na umaasa sa daṇḍanīti. Kung mamumuhay at kikilos ka nang ganito, na may disiplina at nagtatanggol sa iyong mga nasasakupan, mapagwawagian mo maging ang langit na mahirap makamtan.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s highest duty is to protect and sustain the people through dharma-informed governance and prudent policy (nīti); such righteous rule yields the supreme reward, symbolized as conquering even difficult-to-attain heaven.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on rājadharma (the duties of kings). Here he urges the Kuru king to rule ethically, using disciplined statecraft to protect the subjects, promising spiritual merit as the outcome.