Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
व्याधयो न भवन्त्यत्र नाल्पायुर्दृश्यते नर: । विधवा न भवन्त्यत्र कृपणो न तु जायते
vyādhayo na bhavanty atra nālpāyur dṛśyate naraḥ | vidhavā na bhavanty atra kṛpaṇo na tu jāyate ||
بھیشم نے کہا—اس دیس میں نہ بیماریاں پیدا ہوتی ہیں، نہ کوئی آدمی کم عمر دکھائی دیتا ہے۔ وہاں کوئی عورت بیوہ نہیں ہوتی، اور نہ کوئی کنجوس یا پست ہمّت شخص پیدا ہوتا ہے۔
भीष्म उवाच
Bhīṣma describes the marks of a dharmic, well-ordered realm: health, longevity, social security (no widowhood), and the absence of miserly, degraded dispositions—suggesting that righteous governance and collective merit manifest as both physical well-being and moral quality in society.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and governance, Bhīṣma is portraying an exemplary country/condition of life, listing its visible signs—freedom from disease, long life, stable family life, and the birth of noble-minded people.