Shloka 100
Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
प्रवर्तनाद् द्वापरस्य यथाभागमुपाश्षुते । कले: प्रवर्तनादू राजा पापमत्यन्तमश्लुते
pravartanād dvāparasya yathābhāgam upāśnute | kaleḥ pravartanād rājā pāpam atyantam aśnute ||
毗湿摩说：“若使德瓦帕拉（Dvāpara）之世运转，国王便依其功德多寡，得享天乐一时；然若令迦梨（Kali）之世出现，国王便成为极重罪业的共担者。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler bears moral responsibility for the conditions he sets in motion: initiating a relatively righteous order yields merit and heavenly enjoyment proportionate to one’s virtue, whereas initiating an age of decline (Kali) makes the ruler liable to grave sin.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, Bhīṣma explains to the king that the consequences of a ruler’s actions can be epochal: promoting a better social-moral order brings merit, while unleashing degeneration brings heavy demerit.