Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
समतां वसुधायाश्व स सम्यगुदपादयत् | वैषम्यं हि परं भूमेरासीदिति च न: श्रुतम्,सुना जाता है कि पृथुके समय यह पृथ्वी बहुत ऊँची-नीची थी। उन्होंने ही इसे भलीभाँति समतल बनाया था
samatāṁ vasudhāyāś ca sa samyag udapādayat | vaiṣamyaṁ hi paraṁ bhūmer āsīd iti ca naḥ śrutam ||
毗湿摩说道:他使大地端正而平坦。因为我们听说,在此之前地势极其不齐,高低起伏;直到他以整饬之手加以规整,方使之适于定居生活与依正法而治。
भीष्म उवाच
A righteous ruler’s duty is to remove disorder and make the world habitable and fair—symbolized by leveling the earth. Governance is not merely power; it is constructive, welfare-oriented action that enables dharma and stable livelihood.
Bhishma recalls a traditional account about King Pṛthu: the earth was once extremely uneven, and Pṛthu is credited with making it properly level, establishing conditions for agriculture, settlement, and orderly rule.