Shloka 11
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
संविभागेन भूतानामतिथीनां तथार्चनात् । देवयज्जैश्व राजेन्द्र वन्याश्रमपदं भवेत्,राजेन्द्र! बलिवैश्वदेवके द्वारा प्राणियोंको उनका भाग समर्पित करनेसे, अतिथियोंके पूजनसे तथा देवयज्ञोंके अनुष्ठानसे भी वानप्रस्थ-सेवनका फल प्राप्त होता है
saṁvibhāgena bhūtānām atithīnāṁ tathārcanāt | devayajñaiś ca rājendra vanyāśramapadaṁ bhavet ||
Bhīṣma nói: “Tâu Đại vương, nhờ phân chia phần phần đúng phép cho mọi loài hữu tình, nhờ kính lễ và tiếp đãi khách đến nhà, và nhờ cử hành các lễ cúng dường dành cho chư thiên, người ấy đạt được quả phúc tâm linh tương ứng với giai đoạn sống đời lâm cư (vānaprastha).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That disciplined ethical duties—sharing resources with living beings, honoring guests, and performing divine offerings—can yield the same spiritual merit as the forest-dweller’s (vānaprastha) life, emphasizing that inner discipline and dharmic conduct matter as much as external renunciation.
In the Śānti Parva, Bhishma instructs King Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. Here he explains that certain household practices (distribution, hospitality, and devayajñas) confer the merit associated with the forest-āśrama, linking everyday obligations to higher spiritual attainment.