Shloka 5
राजधर्मः—प्रमादवर्जनं, दण्डनीतिः, दुर्बलरक्षणम्
Royal Dharma: Vigilance, Just Punishment, Protection of the Vulnerable
तेषां यः क्षत्रियो वेद वस्त्राणामिव शोधनम् | शीलदोषान् विनिर्हर्तु स पिता स प्रजापति:
teṣāṁ yaḥ kṣatriyo veda vastrāṇām iva śodhanam | śīladoṣān vinirhartu sa pitā sa prajāpatiḥ ||
তাদের মধ্যে যে ক্ষত্রিয় বস্ত্রের দাগ ধোবার মতো আচরণের দোষ দূর করতে জানে, সেই-ই প্রজার পিতা এবং সেই-ই প্রজাপতি (অধিপতি)।
उतथ्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate rulership is defined not merely by power or birth but by the ability to purify society morally—removing defects of character and restoring right conduct, as a washerman cleanses stained cloth.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Utathya describes the true mark of a worthy Kṣatriya-ruler: one who knows how to correct and eliminate faults in conduct among the people is the real guardian and sovereign (prajāpati) of the realm.