Shloka 10
उतथ्योपदेशः—राजधर्मः, दर्पनिग्रहः, प्रजारक्षणम्
Utathya’s Instruction: Royal Dharma, Restraint of Pride, Protection of Subjects
नैव भार्या न पशवो न क्षेत्र न निवेशनम् । संदृश्येत मनुष्याणां यदा पापबलं भवेत्
naiva bhāryā na paśavo na kṣetraṁ na niveśanam | saṁdṛśyeta manuṣyāṇāṁ yadā pāpabalaṁ bhavet ||
Utathya said: “When the power of sin grows strong in the world, people find no secure hold even in what they call their own—neither wife, nor cattle, nor field, nor dwelling. Under the dominance of wrongdoing, the ordinary supports of life cease to appear as stable refuges.”
उतथ्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
When adharma becomes dominant, even the basic pillars of a stable life—family security, livelihood, property, and home—lose their reliability. Ethical collapse produces social and personal insecurity.
In Śānti Parva, the sage Utathya is instructing on the effects of moral degeneration. He describes a condition where the rise of pāpa (wrongdoing) makes people unable to rely on their closest relationships and possessions, highlighting the societal fallout of adharma.