Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
षाड्गुण्यं च त्रिवर्ग च त्रिवर्गपरमं तथा । यो वेत्ति पुरुषव्याप्र स भुड्क्ते पृथिवीमिमाम्
ṣāḍguṇyaṃ ca trivargaṃ ca trivargaparamaṃ tathā | yo vetti puruṣavyāghra sa bhuṅkte pṛthivīm imām ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “O tigre sa mga tao, ang haring tunay na nakaaalam ng anim-na-tiklop na patakaran (ṣāḍguṇya), ng tatlong layunin ng buhay (trivarga), at gayundin ng pinakamataas na lampas sa tatlong iyon—siya lamang ang karapat-dapat na magtamasa at mamahala sa daigdig na ito.”
भीष्म उवाच
A ruler’s legitimacy and success rest on integrated wisdom: mastery of practical statecraft (the six measures), balanced pursuit of dharma–artha–kāma, and orientation to the highest good beyond them (trivargaparamam). Such knowledge makes one truly fit to wield sovereignty.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma is advising the king (addressed as ‘puruṣavyāghra’) that only a ruler who understands both political strategy and the hierarchy of human aims is capable of properly enjoying and governing the earth.