Shloka 73
राजधर्मः, दण्डनीतिः, कर्तृत्व-विचारः च
Royal Duty, Lawful Discipline, and the Question of Agency
धर्म विनश्यमानं हि यो न रक्षेत् स धर्महा । इसके विपरीत आचरण करनेवाला राजा पापका भागी होता है, जो नष्ट होते हुए धर्मकी रक्षा नहीं करता, वह राजा धर्मका घात करनेवाला है
dharma vinaśyamānaṃ hi yo na rakṣet sa dharmahā |
Vyāsa said: Whoever does not protect dharma when it is being destroyed becomes a slayer of dharma. A king who acts contrary to this duty incurs sin; failing to defend endangered righteousness, he is counted as one who harms dharma itself.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is not merely to be admired but actively protected. When righteousness is under threat, inaction becomes culpable: failing to defend dharma is treated as harming dharma, and for a king this negligence is a direct source of sin.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on conduct and governance, Vyāsa delivers a normative maxim: when dharma is collapsing, one must intervene to preserve it. The statement frames royal duty (rājadharma) as protective and corrective, condemning passive or contrary rule.