Shloka 48
त्रिवर्गमूलनिश्चयः — Determining the Roots of Dharma, Artha, and Kāma
Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 123
पितामहान्महादेवो जागर्ति भगवान् शिव: । विश्वेदेवा: शिवाच्चापि विश्वेभ्यश्व॒ तथर्षय:
pitāmahān mahādevo jāgarti bhagavān śivaḥ | viśvedevāḥ śivāc cāpi viśvebhyaś ca tatharṣayaḥ |
婆苏诃罗摩说道：“由祖父梵天（Brahmā）而来，大主薄伽梵湿婆（Śiva）恒常警醒。由湿婆而出诸毗湿毗天（Viśvedevas）；由毗湿毗天而出诸仙圣（Ṛṣi）。循此神圣相承，惩戒与护持之权被领受并承担，以守护诸世界。须明白：制止罪恶、护佑众生之力并非任意而为——它是为 loka-rakṣā（护世）而由神明托付的责任。”
वसुहरोम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames political-ethical power—especially the authority to punish and protect—as a sacred trust transmitted through a divine lineage. True governance is vigilant, restrained, and aimed at loka-rakṣā (protecting the world), not personal gain.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and rule, Vasuharoma explains a hierarchy of beings beginning with Brahmā and Śiva, describing how responsibility for maintaining order and safeguarding beings is passed down through divine and sage lineages.