Shloka 32
Daṇḍa-svarūpa-nirūpaṇa
The Nature, Forms, and Function of Daṇḍa
नित्य॑ राष्ट्रमवेक्षेत गोभि: सूर्य इवोदित: । चरान् स्वनुचरान् विद्यात् तथा बुद्धया स्वयं चरेत्
nityaṁ rāṣṭram avekṣeta gobhiḥ sūrya ivoditaḥ | carān svānucarān vidyāt tathā buddhyā svayaṁ caret ||
毗湿摩说道：“君王当恒常巡视其国，如旭日升起，以光芒遍照而观天下。应借密探与可信之臣得知政情，又当凭自身智慧亲自思量，然后行事。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s dharma includes continuous oversight of the realm: gathering reliable intelligence through spies and agents, and then deciding through personal discernment rather than acting blindly or only on hearsay.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma advises the king on practical governance—using the sun as a metaphor for constant, far-reaching observation and emphasizing both intelligence networks and the ruler’s own judgment.