Shloka 2
राजधर्मः, दण्डनीतिः, कर्तृत्व-विचारः च
Royal Duty, Lawful Discipline, and the Question of Agency
व्यास उवाच प्रजानां पालन धर्मो राज्ञां राजीवलोचन । धर्म: प्रमाणं लोकस्य नित्यं धर्मनिवर्तिन:
vyāsa uvāca | prajānāṃ pālana-dharmo rājñāṃ rājīva-locana | dharmaḥ pramāṇaṃ lokasya nityaṃ dharma-nivartinaḥ ||
Vyāsa said: “O lotus-eyed (Yudhiṣṭhira), the defining duty of kings is the protection and welfare of their subjects. For those who live by dharma, dharma itself is ever the final standard and authority for the world.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s primary dharma is to protect and sustain the people; and for those committed to righteous conduct, dharma itself functions as the ultimate authority and measure for decisions.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on statecraft and ethics, Vyāsa addresses Yudhiṣṭhira and frames royal duty (rājadharma) as public protection, grounding political authority in adherence to dharma.