Shloka 16
Draupadī’s Exhortation on Rājadharma and Daṇḍa (द्रौपद्याः राजधर्मोपदेशः)
असतां प्रतिषेधश्व सतां च परिपालनम् | एष राज्ञां परो धर्म: समरे चापलायनम्,राजाओंका परम धर्म तो यही है कि वे दुष्टोंको दण्ड दें, सत्पुरुषोंका पालन करें और युद्धमें कभी पीठ न दिखावें
asatāṁ pratiṣedhaś ca satāṁ ca paripālanam | eṣa rājñāṁ paro dharmaḥ samare cāpalāyanam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “To restrain the wicked and to protect the virtuous—this is the highest duty of kings; and in battle, not to flee (not to turn one’s back) is likewise their supreme obligation.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse defines rājadharma: a ruler must curb the wicked (through restraint and punishment), safeguard the virtuous, and show steadfast courage in war by not fleeing—upholding social order and moral responsibility.
In the didactic discourse of the Śānti Parva, Vaiśampāyana reports a teaching that summarizes the king’s supreme obligations—governance through justice and protection, and valor in battle.