Shloka 44
Adhyāya 33 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Post-Conflict Remorse and Inquiry on Āśrama Discipline (शोक-विमर्शः, आश्रम-जिज्ञासा)
बालानपि च गर्भस्थान् सान्त्वेन समुदाचरन् | रज्जयन् प्रकृती: सर्वा: परिपाहि वसुन्धराम्
bālān api ca garbhasthān sāntvena samudācaran | rajjayan prakṛtīḥ sarvāḥ paripāhi vasundharām ||
Vyāsa said: “Even when the rightful heirs are still children—or even still in the womb—go among the people with gentle reassurance. By consoling them and keeping all the subjects content, protect and govern this earth.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s duty is to preserve stability and welfare through sāntva—calm, reassuring, humane governance—especially during succession uncertainty (when heirs are minors or unborn). The king protects the realm by keeping the entire populace content and secure.
Vyāsa instructs the ruler on practical rājadharma: even if the legitimate successor cannot yet rule, the king must manage the kingdom by consoling and steadying the people, maintaining public confidence, and safeguarding the earth (the state).