कालनिर्णयः, युगधर्मवर्णनम्, सृष्टिक्रमश्च
Time-Reckoning, Yuga-Dharma, and the Sequence of Creation
संरक्षामि विलुम्पामि ददाम्यहमथाददे । संयच्छामि नियच्छामि लोकेषु प्रभुरीश्वर:,मैं प्रजाकी रक्षा करता था और लुटेरोंको लूट भी लेता था। मैं सदा दान देता और प्रजासे कर लेता था। मैं ही सम्पूर्ण लोकोंका शासक और प्रभु होकर सबको संयम-नियममें रखता था
saṃrakṣāmi vilumpāmi dadāmy aham athādade | saṃyacchāmi niyacchāmi lokeṣu prabhur īśvaraḥ ||
قال شَكْرَة: «أنا أحمي، وأنا أيضًا أسلب؛ أُعطي ثم آخذ. أَكُفّ وأُنظّم. وبوصفي السيدَ الحاكمَ على العوالم، أُبقي الكائنات ضمن حدود الانضباط والناموس.»
श॒क्र उवाच
The verse frames sovereignty as a dual duty: a ruler must protect and also enforce order through taking (tax/tribute) and, when necessary, coercive action. Ethical governance is presented as balancing generosity with lawful exaction, and restraint with regulation, for the stability of the worlds.
Śakra (Indra) speaks in the Shanti Parva’s discourse on dharma and governance, describing his own role as cosmic ruler: he protects subjects, grants gifts, collects dues, and maintains discipline—asserting authority as a means to uphold order.