Shloka 17
पतेद् बहुविध॑ शस्त्र बहुधा धर्मचारिषु । अधर्म: प्रगृूहीत: स्थाद् यदि राजा न पालयेत्,यदि राजा रक्षा न करे तो धर्मात्मा पुरुषोंपर बारंबार नाना प्रकारके अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंकी मार पड़े और विवश होकर लोगोंको अधर्मका मार्ग ग्रहण करना पड़े
pated bahuvidhaṁ śastraṁ bahudhā dharmacāriṣu | adharmaḥ pragṛhītaḥ syād yadi rājā na pālayet ||
Vasumanā said: If the king does not protect and govern, then upon those who strive to live by dharma many kinds of weapons will repeatedly fall—violence will strike them again and again—and, driven by helplessness, people will be forced to take up the path of adharma.
वसुमना उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the king’s primary duty is protection and just governance; when this duty fails, even the righteous suffer violence and society is pushed toward adharma out of necessity.
In the Shanti Parva’s discussion on rajadharma, Vasumanā argues that neglect by the ruler creates insecurity: weapons and harm fall upon dharma-abiding people, and the breakdown of protection compels people to adopt unrighteous means to survive.