Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 21
राजधर्मस्य नवनीतम्—रक्षा, दण्ड, चार, उत्थान
Rājadharma’s ‘Essence’: Protection, Punishment, Intelligence, and Royal Diligence
राज्य एक बहुत बड़ा तन््त्र है। जिन्होंने अपने मनको वशमें नहीं किया है
rājyaṃ ekaṃ bahu-bṛhat tantraṃ hi | yeṣāṃ manaḥ vaśīkṛtaṃ na, te krūra-svabhāvā rājānaḥ taṃ viśāla-tantraṃ dhārayituṃ na śaknuvanti | tathā ye ati-komala-prakṛtayaḥ, te 'pi tasya bhāraṃ na vahanti | teṣāṃ kṛte rājyaṃ mahān jañjālaḥ bhavati |
毗湿摩说道：王权是一套广大而精密的体系。性情严酷而未能制伏自心的君主，无法支撑如此宏大的治国机括；而性情过于柔软者，也同样承受不起它的重负。对这类人而言，治国之事便成了沉重的纠缠，而非护持达摩之道。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Effective rule requires inner mastery and balanced temperament: a king must control his mind and avoid both cruelty and excessive softness, otherwise the complex duties of governance become unmanageable and ethically harmful.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma continues advising on the qualities needed for rulership, warning that the state is a vast system that only a disciplined and balanced ruler can sustain.