Shloka 70
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
रक्षणं चैव पौराणां राष्ट्रस्य च विवर्धनम् । मण्डलस्था च या चिन्ता राजन् द्वादशराजिका,राजन! पुरवासियोंकी रक्षा, राज्यकी वृद्धि तथा द्वादश- राजमण्डलोंके विषयमें जो चिन्तन किया जाता है, उसका भी इस ग्रन्थमें उल्लेख हुआ है
rakṣaṇaṃ caiva paurāṇāṃ rāṣṭrasya ca vivardhanam | maṇḍalasthā ca yā cintā rājan dvādaśarājikā ||
بھیشم نے کہا—اے راجن! شہریوں کی حفاظت، مملکت کی تقویت و توسیع، اور راج-منڈل سے متعلق حکمتِ عملی کی جو غوروفکر ہے—یعنی بارہ شاہی عوامل کا نظریہ—یہ سب بھی اس رسالے میں بیان ہوا ہے۔
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s dharma includes safeguarding citizens, strengthening the state, and engaging in prudent strategic deliberation about the wider political circle (maṇḍala). Governance is presented as both ethical responsibility (protection and welfare) and intelligent policy (mandala-based counsel).
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on rājadharma. Here he notes that the discussed compendium includes guidance on protecting urban subjects, promoting the realm’s prosperity, and the strategic doctrine connected with the ‘twelvefold’ royal/political considerations.