Shloka 16
राजधर्मः—प्रजापालनं दानयज्ञश्च
Royal Duty—Protection of Subjects, Generosity, and Sacrificial Discipline
तदलं मम राज्येन यत्र धर्मो न विद्यते । वनमेव गमिष्यामि तस्माद् धर्मचिकीर्षया,जिसमें धर्म ही नहीं है, उस राज्यसे मुझे क्या लेना है? अतः अब मैं धर्म करनेकी इच्छासे वनमें ही चला जाऊँगा
tad alaṁ mama rājyena yatra dharmo na vidyate | vanam eva gamiṣyāmi tasmād dharmacikīrṣayā ||
Yudhiṣṭhira declares that he has no use for a kingdom in which dharma is absent. Therefore, moved by the resolve to live and act in accordance with righteousness, he says he will depart for the forest, choosing ethical integrity over political possession.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Political power and material sovereignty are worthless if they are not grounded in dharma; ethical legitimacy is presented as superior to possession of a kingdom.
In the reflective atmosphere of the Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira voices disillusionment with rulership that lacks righteousness and expresses a wish to withdraw to the forest to pursue dharma through a more ascetic, principled life.