Shloka 10
Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)
कृतंत्रेतां द्वापरं च कलिश्न भरतर्षभ । राजमूला इति मतिर्मम नास्त्यत्र संशय:
kṛtaṃ tretāṃ dvāparaṃ ca kaliṃ ca bharatarṣabha | rājamūlā iti matir mama nāsty atra saṃśayaḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：“噢，婆罗多族中的雄牛，诸时代——克利多、特雷塔、堕婆罗与迦利——皆根植于国王。此乃我既定之信念；于此我毫无疑惑。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The moral quality of an age is not merely cosmic fate; it is decisively shaped by the ruler. A king’s conduct, justice, and protection of dharma become the ‘root’ that makes society resemble Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara, or Kali.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on governance and dharma, Bhīṣma addresses Yudhiṣṭhira and emphasizes the king’s central responsibility: the condition of the realm—and even the character of the age experienced by people—depends on the ruler’s policies and virtue.