Shloka 37
राजधर्मप्रश्नः — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry into Rājadharma (Śānti-parva 56)
न च क्षान्तेन ते नित्यं भाव्यं पुत्र समन््ततः । अधर्मो हि मृदू राजा क्षमावानिव कुज्जर:
na ca kṣāntena te nityaṃ bhāvyaṃ putra samantataḥ | adharmo hi mṛdū rājā kṣamāvān iva kuñjaraḥ ||
毗湿摩说：“孩子啊，你不可在任何时候、任何处境都只以忍让行事。君王若一味柔软，便会成为非法（adharma）的载具——如同驯顺的家象，任人驱使，想往何处便往何处。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Forbearance is a virtue, but a ruler must not apply it indiscriminately; excessive softness enables adharma. Effective kingship requires balanced firmness—patience tempered by timely discipline.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma counsels the listener (addressed as “son”) that constant, universal tolerance is unsuitable for a king, illustrating with the image of a compliant elephant that can be misused.