Shloka 37
राजवृत्त-रक्षा-प्रणिधि-षाड्गुण्योपदेशः
Royal Conduct, Protection, Intelligence, and Policy Measures
यस्याभावेन भूतानामभाव: स्यात् समन्ततः । भावे च भावो नित्यं स्यात् कस्तं न प्रतिपूजयेत्,जिसके न रहनेपर सब ओरसे समस्त प्राणियोंका अभाव होने लगता है और जिसके रहनेपर सदा सबका अस्तित्व बना रहता है, उस राजाका पूजन (आदर-सत्कार) कौन नहीं करेगा?
yasyābhāvena bhūtānām abhāvaḥ syāt samantataḥ | bhāve ca bhāvo nityaṃ syāt kastaṃ na pratipūjayet ||
In whose absence all beings would, on every side, fall into non-existence, and in whose presence their existence is ever sustained—who would not honor and revere such a king?
वसुमना उवाच
Educational Q&A
Righteous kingship is portrayed as a sustaining condition for collective welfare: the presence of a dharmic ruler preserves the existence and stability of beings, while the absence of such rule leads to widespread ruin; therefore honoring such a king is ethically appropriate.
Vasumanā is speaking within the Shanti Parva’s discourse on rajadharma, arguing for the necessity and venerability of the king by describing him as the support of social and living order—someone whose presence maintains stability and whose absence brings collapse.