Shloka 46
राजधर्मप्रश्नः — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry into Rājadharma (Śānti-parva 56)
वर्तितव्यं कुरुश्रेष्ठ सदा धर्मनिवर्तिना । स्वं प्रियं तु परित्यज्य यद् यलल्लोकहितं भवेत्
bhīṣma uvāca | vartitavyaṃ kuruśreṣṭha sadā dharmanivartinā | svaṃ priyaṃ tu parityajya yad yallokahitaṃ bhavet ||
毗湿摩说道：“俱卢族中最卓越者啊，循法而行之人当恒常如此：舍弃个人所爱，凡能成就民众福祉者，皆当为之。正如孕妇为腹中之子之善，连所喜之食与乐亦能舍弃；同样，正义之王亦当无疑地弃绝己好，只为公共之利而行。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A dharma-guided ruler must renounce personal likes and act for lokahita—the welfare of all. Private preference is subordinate to public good, especially in kingship.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira how a king should behave. He uses the analogy of a pregnant woman who gives up desired pleasures for the unborn child’s well-being, illustrating the king’s duty to prioritize subjects’ welfare over his own.