Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
षाड्गुण्यं च त्रिवर्ग च त्रिवर्गपरमं तथा । यो वेत्ति पुरुषव्याप्र स भुड्क्ते पृथिवीमिमाम्
ṣāḍguṇyaṃ ca trivargaṃ ca trivargaparamaṃ tathā | yo vetti puruṣavyāghra sa bhuṅkte pṛthivīm imām ||
毗湿摩说道:“人中之虎啊,唯有真正通晓六策之道(ṣāḍguṇya)、人生三义(trivarga),并且亦知那超越三义之至上者的君王,才配享用并统御这大地。”
भीष्म उवाच
A ruler’s legitimacy and success rest on integrated wisdom: mastery of practical statecraft (the six measures), balanced pursuit of dharma–artha–kāma, and orientation to the highest good beyond them (trivargaparamam). Such knowledge makes one truly fit to wield sovereignty.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma is advising the king (addressed as ‘puruṣavyāghra’) that only a ruler who understands both political strategy and the hierarchy of human aims is capable of properly enjoying and governing the earth.