Shloka 37

राजधर्मः—प्रमादवर्जनं, दण्डनीतिः, दुर्बलरक्षणम्

Royal Dharma: Vigilance, Just Punishment, Protection of the Vulnerable

Devanagari script

यदा5>प्तदक्षिणैर्यज्जैर्यजते श्रद्धयान्वित: । कामद्वेषावनादृत्य स राज्ञो धर्म उच्यते

Transliteration

yadāptadakṣiṇair yajñair yajate śraddhayānvitaḥ | kāmadveṣāv anādṛtya sa rājño dharma ucyate ||

Translation

إذا أقام الملكُ القرابين بإيمان، وبذل أجور القربان (الدكشِنا) بما يكفي، وفعل ذلك غيرَ ملتفتٍ إلى دوافع الشهوة والبغضاء، فإن هذا السلوك يُعلَن دارما الملك.

Word by Word

• यदा: when
• यदा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा

• आप्तदक्षिणैः: with (sacrifices) having sufficient fees (dakṣiṇā)
• आप्तदक्षिणैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आप्तदक्षिण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• यज्ञैः: by/with sacrifices
• यज्ञैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• यजते: he performs sacrifice / worships
• यजते: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: यज्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Ātmanepada

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• अन्वितः: endowed (with), accompanied by
• अन्वितः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्वित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कामद्वेषौ: desire and hatred
• कामद्वेषौ: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कामद्वेष
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Dual

• अनादृत्य: having disregarded / not heeding
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ + दृ
• Form: Absolutive (Gerund)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• राज्ञः: of the king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• धर्मः: duty / dharma
• धर्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उच्यते: is said / is called
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Passive

Speaker

उतथ्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Utathya
• king (rājā)
• yajña
• dakṣiṇā

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Royal dharma is defined as performing public, faith-filled sacrificial duties with proper generosity (dakṣiṇā), while remaining free from personal bias—specifically the pull of desire (kāma) and hatred (dveṣa).

What is happening in the narrative?

Utathya is instructing about rājadharma in the Śānti Parva, identifying a king’s righteous conduct as disciplined ritual action and giving, carried out sincerely and without being driven by personal likes and dislikes.