Shloka 12
उतथ्योपदेशः—राजधर्मः, दर्पनिग्रहः, प्रजारक्षणम्
Utathya’s Instruction: Royal Dharma, Restraint of Pride, Protection of Subjects
न वेदानधिगच्छन्ति व्रतवन्तो द्विजातय: । न यज्ञांस्तन्वते विप्रा यदा पापो न वार्यते
na vedān adhigacchanti vratavanto dvijātayaḥ | na yajñāṁs tanvate viprā yadā pāpo na vāryate ||
Utathya sprach: Wenn Unrecht nicht überwacht und nicht gezügelt wird, geben selbst die gelobtreuen, disziplinierten Zweimalgeborenen das Studium der Veden auf, und die Brahmanen sind außerstande, Opferhandlungen (yajña) zu vollziehen. Der Vers warnt: Duldung der Sünde zersetzt die Grundlagen von Lernen und Ritual und unterminiert so das Dharma in der Gesellschaft.
उतथ्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
If wrongdoing is allowed to continue unchecked, it destroys the conditions necessary for dharma: students lose the will or safety to pursue Vedic learning, and priests cannot sustain sacrificial practice. Restraining pāpa is presented as a prerequisite for preserving religious and ethical life.
Utathya is instructing about the consequences of failing to curb sin in society. He frames moral enforcement as essential to maintaining the institutions of Vedic study and yajña, implying that societal leadership must prevent wrongdoing to protect dharma.