Shloka 17
राजधर्मः—प्रजापालनं दानयज्ञश्च
Royal Duty—Protection of Subjects, Generosity, and Sacrificial Discipline
तत्र मेध्येष्वरण्येषु न्यस्तदण्डो जितेन्द्रिय: । धर्ममाराधयिष्यामि मुनिर्मूलफलाशन:
tatra medhyeṣv araṇyeṣu nyastadaṇḍo jitendriyaḥ | dharmam ārādhayiṣyāmi munir mūlaphalāśanaḥ ||
There, in those sanctifying forest tracts, I shall lay aside all violence, restrain my senses, and—living like a sage—worship and cultivate dharma while sustaining myself on roots and fruits. In this way I seek purification and ethical steadiness after the turmoil of kingship and war.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
True restoration after violence and political turmoil is sought through dharma: renouncing harm (nyasta-daṇḍa), mastering the senses (jitendriya), and adopting a simple, disciplined life oriented to ethical cultivation rather than power.
Yudhiṣṭhira expresses a resolve to withdraw into holy forests, abandon coercion and violence, live like an ascetic on roots and fruits, and devote himself to the worship and practice of dharma—reflecting his post-war moral anguish and desire for purification.