Shloka 4
Śānti Parva 116: Criteria for Royal Servants and Administrative Competence (भृत्य-गुण-प्रश्नः / राजसेवक-लक्षणम्)
पुत्रपौत्राभिरामं च राष्ट्रवृद्धिकरं च यत् । अन्नपाने शरीरे च हित यत्तद् ब्रवीहि मे,आप मुझे ऐसा कोई उपाय बताइये जो हमारे इस राज्यतन्त्रके लिये हितकारक, कुलके लिये सुखदायक, वर्तमान और भविष्यमें भी कल्याणकी वृद्धि करनेवाला, पुत्र और पौत्रोंकी परम्पराके लिये हितकर, राष्ट्रकी उन्नति करनेवाला तथा अन्न, जल और शरीरके लिये भी लाभकारी हो
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | putrapautrābhirāmaṃ ca rāṣṭravṛddhikaraṃ ca yat | annapāne śarīre ca hitaṃ yattad bravīhi me ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Sage mir jenen Weg des Handelns, der Söhnen und Enkeln angenehm und heilsam ist, der Wachstum und Wohlstand des Reiches fördert und der auch für Speise, Trank und den Leib zuträglich ist.“
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the king’s duty as seeking a policy that simultaneously sustains family continuity (sons and grandsons), strengthens the kingdom’s prosperity, and safeguards basic necessities—food, drink, and bodily well-being—thus linking dharma with practical welfare.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma after the war, Yudhiṣṭhira asks for guidance on what measures are truly beneficial—those that bring prosperity to the realm and well-being to people across generations, including their nourishment and health.