Shloka 1
उतथ्योपदेशः—राजधर्मः, दर्पनिग्रहः, प्रजारक्षणम्
Utathya’s Instruction: Royal Dharma, Restraint of Pride, Protection of Subjects
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत शान्तिपर्वके अन्तर्गत राजधमनिशासनपर्वमें राष्ट्रकी रक्षाविषयक नवासीवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ ॥/ ८९ ॥। 2: बछ। अकाल नवतितमो< ध्याय: उतथ्यका मान्धाताको उपदेश--राजाके लिये धर्मपालनकी आवश्यकता भीष्म उवाच यानद्िरा: क्षत्रधर्मानुतथ्यो ब्रह्मवित्तम: । मान्धात्रे यौवनाश्चवाय प्रीतिमानभ्यभाषत
bhīṣma uvāca | yān aṅgirāḥ kṣatradharmān utathyo brahmavittamaḥ | māndhātre yauvanāśvasya prītimān abhyabhāṣata ||
Bhishma said: “O King, listen to those duties of the kshatriya that Utathya—the son of Aṅgiras and foremost among knowers of Brahman—once explained with pleasure to Māndhātṛ, the son of Yuvanāśva.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That royal duty (kṣatriya-dharma/rajadharma) should be learned and upheld from authoritative sages; the protection and stability of the realm depend on disciplined adherence to dharma.
Bhishma introduces a traditional teaching: he is about to recount what the sage Utathya once taught King Māndhātṛ regarding the duties of a ruler, framing it as a model for the present listener.