Shloka 47

Devanagari script

न च राज्यसमो धर्म: कश्चिदस्ति परंतप । धर्म: संशब्दितो राज्ञामापदर्थमतोडन्यथा,परंतप! राजाके लिये राज्यकी रक्षाके समान दूसरा कोई धर्म नहीं है। अभी जिस धर्मकी चर्चा की गयी है, वह केवल राजाओंके लिये आपत्तिकालमें ही आचरणमें लाने योग्य है; अन्यथा नहीं

Transliteration

na ca rājya-samo dharmaḥ kaścid asti parantapa | dharmaḥ saṃśabdito rājñām āpad-artham ato 'nyathā, parantapa ||

Translation

بھیشم نے کہا: اے پرنتپ! سلطنت کی حفاظت اور بقا کے برابر کوئی اور دھرم نہیں۔ یہاں جس ‘دھرم’ کا ذکر ہے وہ حکمرانوں کے لیے صرف آفت و ابتلا کے وقت بطور اضطراری تدبیر مقرر ہے؛ عام حالات میں اسے معمول کا قاعدہ نہ سمجھا جائے۔

Word by Word

नnot

चand

राज्य-समःequal to kingship/sovereignty

धर्मःduty, dharma

कश्चित्any (one)

अस्तिis/exists

परंतपO scorcher of foes

धर्मःdharma (this duty)

संशब्दितःso-called, designated

राज्ञाम्of kings

आपद्-अर्थम्for the purpose of calamity (i.e., in distress)

अतःtherefore/for that reason

अन्यथाotherwise

परंतपO scorcher of foes

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Yudhiṣṭhira

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma prioritizes rāja-dharma: for a ruler, safeguarding the kingdom is the highest duty. He also draws a boundary—certain exceptional measures (āpad-dharma) are permitted only during crises and should not be normalized in peaceful times.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira receives instruction from Bhīṣma on statecraft and ethics after the war. Here Bhīṣma clarifies that the earlier-discussed special rule is meant for emergencies affecting rulers, while the ordinary standard of conduct applies otherwise.