Shloka 9
राजधर्मः, दण्डनीतिः, कर्तृत्व-विचारः च
Royal Duty, Lawful Discipline, and the Question of Agency
स्वधर्मे वर्तमानस्त्वं कि नु शोचसि पाण्डव । राजा हि हन्याद् दद्याच्च प्रजा रक्षेच्च धर्मत:
svadharme vartamānas tvaṁ ki nu śocasi pāṇḍava | rājā hi hanyād dadyāc ca prajā rakṣec ca dharmataḥ ||
Vyāsa said: “O Pāṇḍava, if you are abiding in your own dharma, why do you grieve? For a king, acting in accordance with righteousness, must at times punish (even slay), must also give in charity, and must protect his subjects.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that grief is misplaced when one is acting within svadharma. For a king, dharma includes three complementary obligations: administering punishment when necessary, giving generously, and protecting the people—each to be done dharmataḥ, i.e., under the rule of righteousness rather than personal anger or desire.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma after the war, Vyāsa addresses a Pāṇḍava who is troubled by sorrow and moral doubt. He reassures him by framing royal action—punishment, generosity, and protection—as legitimate and required aspects of righteous governance.