Shloka 2
Kṣātra-dharma in Campaign and Battle: Protection, Purification, and the Ideal Warrior’s End (क्षात्रधर्मः—अभियानयुद्धे रक्षणदानशुद्धिः)
अथ सम कर्मणा केन लोकान् जयति पार्थिव: । विद्वन् जिज्ञासमानाय प्रब्रूहि भरतर्षभ,विद्वन! भरतश्रेष्ठल अब मैं यह जानना चाहता हूँ कि राजाको किस कर्मसे पुण्यलोकोंकी प्राप्ति होती है; अतः यही मुझे बताइये
atha samakarmaṇā kena lokān jayati pārthivaḥ | vidvan jijñāsamānāya prabrūhi bharatarṣabha ||
তবে কোন সমদর্শী ও ধর্মসম্মত কর্মের দ্বারা রাজা পুণ্যলোক লাভ করে? হে বিদ্বান, আমি জানতে চাই—হে ভরতশ্রেষ্ঠ, স্পষ্ট করে বলুন।
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a key Rajadharma inquiry: a ruler’s attainment of meritorious realms depends not on power alone but on ‘sama-karma’—impartial, fair, and ethically grounded governance.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma after the war, Yudhiṣṭhira respectfully questions a learned authority, asking which specific form of righteous conduct enables a king to attain higher worlds.