Shloka 7
राजधर्मस्य नवनीतम्—रक्षा, दण्ड, चार, उत्थान
Rājadharma’s ‘Essence’: Protection, Punishment, Intelligence, and Royal Diligence
केतनानां च जीर्णानामवेक्षा चैव सीदताम् । द्विविधस्य च दण्डस्य प्रयोग: कालचोदित:
ketanānāṃ ca jīrṇānām avekṣā caiva sīdatām | dvividhasya ca daṇḍasya prayogaḥ kālacoditaḥ, yudhiṣṭhira |
毗湿摩说道：“当照拂那些破败衰朽的公共设施，也当顾念那些沉沦于困厄之人。噢，坚战啊，应随时势所迫，于适当之时施行两种惩罚——肉刑与财罚。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king must combine welfare and discipline: maintain decaying infrastructure and care for the distressed, while enforcing punishment in a timely, proportionate way—both through physical penalties and financial penalties—according to circumstances.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on practical duties of rulership, emphasizing oversight of public conditions and the judicious, time-appropriate use of royal punishment.