Shloka 17

Devanagari script

महाजना ह्ापावृत्ता राजधर्म समाश्रिता: । न हि सर्वहित: कश्चिदाचार: सम्प्रवर्तते,आचार्य द्रोण-जैसे महापुरुष भी स्वधर्मसे हटकर क्षत्रियधर्मका आश्रय लेते हैं; अतः कोई भी आचार ऐसा नहीं है, जो सबके लिये समानरूपसे हितकर या सबके द्वारा समानरूपसे पालित हो

Transliteration

mahājanā hy apāvṛttā rājadharma-samāśritāḥ | na hi sarvahitaḥ kaścid ācāraḥ sampravartate ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Even eminent men have at times turned away from their own customary duty and taken refuge in the king’s law of governance and the warrior’s code. Therefore, no single rule of conduct can be said to be uniformly beneficial for everyone, nor can any one practice be followed in the same way by all.”

Word by Word

महाजनाःgreat persons / eminent people

हिindeed / for

अपावृत्ताःturned away / deviated

राजधर्मम्the kingly duty / kshatriya-duty

समाश्रिताःhaving resorted to / having taken refuge in

नnot

हिindeed

सर्वहितःbeneficial to all

कश्चित्anyone / any (one)

आचारःconduct / practice / custom

सम्प्रवर्ततेcomes into operation / prevails

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

mahājana (eminent authorities)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is context-sensitive: even exemplary authorities may adopt rājadharma when circumstances demand, so no single ācāra can be universally beneficial or uniformly applicable to all people in all situations.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma after the war, Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on the variability of right conduct, noting that even great authorities sometimes shift from their usual duty to the demands of kingship and the warrior’s code, highlighting the complexity of ethical decision-making.