Shloka 2
Dasyu-maryādā and Buddhi-guided Rāja-nīti (दस्युमर्यादा तथा बुद्धिप्रधान-राजनीति)
युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--महाबाहो! आपने यह सलाह दी है कि शत्रुओंपर विश्वास नहीं करना चाहिये। साथ ही यह कहा है कि कहीं भी विश्वास करना उचित नहीं है, परंतु यदि राजा सर्वत्र अविश्वास ही करे तो किस प्रकार वह राज्यसम्बन्धी व्यवहार चला सकता है? ।। विश्वासाद्धि परं राजन् राज्ञामुत्पद्यते भयम् । कथं हि नाश्वसन् राजा शत्रून् जयति पार्थिव:,राजन! यदि विश्वाससे राजाओंपर महान् भय आता है तो सर्वत्र अविश्वास करनेवाला भूपाल अपने शत्रुओंपर विजय कैसे पा सकता है?
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | viśvāsād dhi paraṃ rājan rājñām utpadyate bhayam | kathaṃ hi nāśvasan rājā śatrūn jayati pārthivaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O King, it is said that great danger to rulers arises from trust. If so, how can a sovereign who trusts no one at all conduct the business of governance—and how can a king, never placing confidence anywhere, still overcome his enemies?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a rājadharma dilemma: while naïve trust can endanger a ruler, total distrust makes governance impossible. It invites a balanced ethic—measured confidence supported by vigilance, testing, and safeguards.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue on kingship, Yudhiṣṭhira questions prior counsel that warns against trusting enemies and even against trust in general. He asks how a king can practically run the state and still win over enemies if he refuses to trust anyone anywhere.