Shloka 9
धृतराष्ट्रस्य पश्चात्तापः तथा वनप्रस्थानानुज्ञा | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Remorse and Request for Forest-Retirement
तत्तु शक््यं महाराज रक्षितुं पाण्डुनन्दन । राज्यं धर्मेण कौन्तेय विद्वानसि निबोध तत्
tat tu śakyaṃ mahārāja rakṣituṃ pāṇḍu-nandana | rājyaṃ dharmeṇa kaunteya vidvān asi nibodha tat ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O großer König, o Freude Pāṇḍus, o Sohn Kuntīs—dieses Reich lässt sich wahrhaft nur durch Dharma schützen. Du bist weise und weißt es bereits; dennoch höre es auch von mir und nimm es dir zu Herzen.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts that the stability and protection of a kingdom depend primarily on dharma—righteous, lawful, and ethical governance—rather than mere power or strategy.
Vaiśampāyana addresses the king and a Pāṇḍava (Kaunteya/Pāṇḍunandana), emphasizing that although the listener is already wise, he should still heed a formal instruction on how rule is safeguarded—through dharma.