Shloka 16
नृशंस-लक्षणनिर्णयः | Determining the Marks of Cruel Conduct
Nṛśaṃsa
उक्ताक्ष ते राजधर्मा आपद्धर्माश्न भारत । विस्तरेण महाराज कि भूय: श्रोतुमिच्छसि,भरतनन्दन! महाराज! मैंने तुमसे राजधर्म और आपद्धर्मका विस्तारपूर्वक वर्णन किया है, अब और क्या सुनना चाहते हो
uktākṣa te rājadharmā āpaddharmāś ca bhārata | vistareṇa mahārāja kiṃ bhūyaḥ śrotum icchasi bharatanandana ||
毗湿摩说道：“婆罗多之裔啊，大王啊，我已为你详尽阐明王法之道与遭难之时当行之法。如今，婆罗多族之欢悦者啊，你还想听些什么？”
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma signals completion of his detailed exposition on rājadharma (normative duties of rulership) and āpaddharma (emergency ethics), inviting the king to ask what further instruction is needed—highlighting that dharma includes both stable norms and carefully bounded exceptions for crises.
In the Shanti Parva teaching dialogue, Bhishma—lying on his bed of arrows—has been instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on governance and conduct. Here he pauses and asks what else Yudhiṣṭhira wishes to hear after the extended discussion of royal and emergency duties.