Shloka 17
Chapter 15: Counsel on Initiative vs. Renunciation in the Rajasuya Project (सभापर्व, अध्याय १५)
निग्राह्मुलक्षणं प्राप्तिर्धर्मार्थनयलक्षणै:
nigrāha-mūla-lakṣaṇaṁ prāptir dharmārtha-naya-lakṣaṇaiḥ |
Kṛṣṇa said: “True attainment is marked by the power to restrain and govern—rooted in the defining qualities of dharma, artha, and sound policy. In the same way, King Marutta became an emperor through the force of his prosperity. Until now we have heard only of those five emperors. O Yudhiṣṭhira, rulers such as Māndhātā attained imperial status through a single outstanding excellence; but you seek the imperial station in its fullness. The five qualities by which sovereignty is won—victory over enemies, protection of subjects, ascetic power, abundance of wealth, and excellent statecraft—are all present in you.”
कृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Imperial authority is ethically justified only when grounded in restraint and in the integrated aims of dharma (justice), artha (welfare/resources), and naya (wise policy). Kṛṣṇa frames sovereignty not as mere conquest but as a disciplined capacity to protect, govern, and uphold order.
Kṛṣṇa addresses Yudhiṣṭhira, citing earlier exemplary emperors (such as Marutta and Māndhātā) to argue that Yudhiṣṭhira is uniquely qualified for full imperial rule because he possesses all five requisites of sovereignty: enemy-subduing power, care of subjects, ascetic discipline, wealth, and excellent governance.