तस्मिञ् जनपदे रम्ये बहवः कुरुभिः कृताः ॥
कूपारामसभावाप्यो ब्राह्मणावसथास् तथा ॥
भीष्मेण शास्त्रतो राजन् सर्वतः परिरक्षिते ॥
बभूव रमणीयश् च चैत्ययूपशताङ्कितः ॥
स देशः परराष्ट्राणि प्रतिगृह्याभिवर्धितः ॥
भीष्मेण विहितं राष्ट्रे धर्मचक्रम् अवर्तत ॥
tasmiñ janapade ramye bahavaḥ kurubhiḥ kṛtāḥ ||
kūpārāmasabhāvāpyo brāhmaṇāvasathās tathā ||
bhīṣmeṇa śāstrato rājan sarvataḥ parirakṣite ||
babhūva ramaṇīyaś ca caityayūpaśatāṅkitaḥ ||
sa deśaḥ pararāṣṭrāṇi pratigṛhyābhivardhitaḥ ||
bhīṣmeṇa vihitaṃ rāṣṭre dharmacakram avartata ||
'In that lovely land the Kurus built much -- wells, gardens, assembly halls, water tanks, as well as shelters for brahmins. And the land, everywhere protected by Bhishma according to the precepts of the shastras, o king, grew beautiful, marked by hundreds of shrines and sacrificial pillars; that country grew, annexing foreign kingdoms to itself, and the wheel of dharma established by Bhishma turned within the realm.'
3552dc5aae6c · publicado 12 jul 2026, 16:30:26 UTC
Disponible enRUENPasa de verso en verso con
Here is revealed what sustains the golden age: the righteous rule of Bhishma 'by the shastras' (shastratah). The list of public goods is telling -- wells, gardens, water tanks, assembly halls, shelters for brahmins: true authority attends to the basic needs of all -- water, rest, a place for counsel, and for people of spiritual life. The phrase 'wheel of dharma' (dharma-cakra) is telling: righteous rule is likened to the turning of the wheel of law, in accord with which the whole realm moves. Here is shown the ideal of the king as servant of dharma, not its master: Bhishma rules not by his own will but by scripture, and so the land prospers and grows even through the annexation of foreign kingdoms -- not by violence, but by the excellence of a righteous order that draws others to it. Thus scripture affirms that the lasting greatness of a realm rests on adherence to law, on generous care for subjects, and on the protection of brahmins and holy places.