Shloka 2
Cāturāśramya-dharma—Marks of the Four Āśramas (चातुराश्रम्यधर्मः)
भूसंस्कारं राजसंस्कारयोग- मभैक्ष्यचर्या पालनं च प्रजानाम् । विद्याद् राजा सर्वभूतानुकम्पी देहत्यागं चाहवे धर्ममग्र्यम्
indra uvāca | bhūsaṃskāraṃ rājasaṃskāra-yogam abhaiṣya-caryā pālanaṃ ca prajānām | vidyād rājā sarva-bhūtānukampī deha-tyāgaṃ cāhave dharmam agryam ||
Indra said: Let the compassionate king, who feels mercy toward all beings, understand this as the highest dharma: to improve and cultivate the earth, to perform the royal consecratory rites and their proper observances, not to live by begging, to protect and sustain the people, and—when duty calls on the battlefield—to relinquish the body in combat.
इन्द्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s highest dharma is active, compassionate stewardship: cultivate and order the land, uphold royal rites and disciplined conduct, avoid dependence on begging, protect the people, and accept even death in battle when it is required for righteous defense.
Indra is presented as the speaker, laying down a normative code of rajadharma. The verse lists concrete royal obligations—economic welfare (land cultivation), ritual legitimacy (royal rites), social responsibility (not living by alms), political duty (protecting subjects), and martial duty (self-sacrifice in war).