Shloka 7

Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)

Devanagari script

संस्थानेषु च सर्वेषु पुरेषु नगरेषु च । मध्ये च नरशार्दूल तथा राजनिवेशने

Transliteration

saṁsthāneṣu ca sarveṣu pureṣu nagareṣu ca | madhye ca naraśārdūla tathā rājaniveśane ||

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: “Ở mọi doanh trại và trạm đóng, trong các thị trấn và thành phố, cũng như trong nội cung và quanh hoàng cung, hỡi bậc hổ giữa loài người, phải đặt lính canh cho đúng phép.” Lời khuyên ấy nhấn mạnh sự trị quốc tỉnh thức: an ninh của dân phải được bảo đảm khắp nơi—từ các khu cư trú bên ngoài cho đến tận cung điện—để trật tự và dharma được gìn giữ bằng nền hành chính nghiêm minh.

Word by Word

• संस्थानेषु: in encampments/stations
• संस्थानेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संस्थान
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• सर्वेषु: in all
• सर्वेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Plural

• पुरेषु: in towns/fortified places
• पुरेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुर
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Plural

• नगरेषु: in cities
• नगरेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नगर
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• मध्ये: in the middle/within
• मध्ये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• नरशार्दूल: O tiger among men
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर-शार्दूल
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• तथा: likewise/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• राजनिवेशने: in the royal residence/royal quarters
• राजनिवेशने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज-निवेशन
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• King (addressed as naraśārdūla)
• encampments/stations (saṁsthāna)
• towns (pura)
• cities (nagara)
• inner quarters (implied by madhye/antaḥpura context)
• royal residence/palace (rājaniveśana)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler must ensure comprehensive security—posting vigilant guards in every kind of settlement and especially in sensitive zones like the palace—so that social order and dharma are maintained.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma advises the king on practical governance, specifically the systematic deployment of protective forces across the realm and within the royal establishment.