Shloka 19
Ālasyadoṣa-nirdeśa (On the Fault of Negligence) — The Camel’s Long-Neck Exemplum
राज्यं तिष्ठति दक्षस्य संगृहीतेन्द्रियस्य च । आर्तस्य बुद्धिमूलं हि विजयं मनुरब्रवीत्,जो जितेन्द्रिय और कार्यदक्ष है, उसीका राज्य स्थिर रहता है। मनुजीका कथन है कि संकटमें पड़े हुए राजाकी विजयका मूल बुद्धि-बल ही है
rājyaṃ tiṣṭhati dakṣasya saṅgṛhītendriyasya ca | ārtasya buddhimūlaṃ hi vijayaṃ manur abravīt ||
A kingdom remains stable when its ruler is competent in action and has his senses under control. Manu has declared that, for a king pressed by adversity, the very root of victory is the strength and clarity of intellect.
उड्ड उवाच
Educational Q&A
Political stability depends on two royal virtues: practical competence (dakṣatā) and restraint of the senses (jitendriyatā). In times of crisis, victory is not primarily rooted in force or fortune but in buddhi—clear judgment, strategy, and disciplined decision-making.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Uḍḍa cites an authoritative maxim attributed to Manu to counsel how a king should secure and preserve rule: by self-mastery and intelligent governance, especially when facing adversity.