Shloka 11
उतथ्योपदेशः—राजधर्मः, दर्पनिग्रहः, प्रजारक्षणम्
Utathya’s Instruction: Royal Dharma, Restraint of Pride, Protection of Subjects
देवा: पूजां न जानन्ति न स्वधां पितरस्तदा । न पूज्यन्ते हतिथयो यदा पापो न वार्यते
devāḥ pūjāṃ na jānanti na svadhāṃ pitaras tadā | na pūjyante hy atithayo yadā pāpo na vāryate ||
Utathya said: When wrongdoing is not restrained, the gods no longer recognize offerings of worship, the ancestors do not partake of the svadhā of śrāddha, and guests are not honored. In such a society, neglect of moral discipline erodes the very channels through which divine, ancestral, and social obligations are sustained.
उतथ्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual life (worship, śrāddha, hospitality) depends on moral governance: if sin is not restrained, society loses the capacity to honor gods, ancestors, and guests, and dharma collapses from within.
Utathya is instructing about dharma in the Shanti Parva, emphasizing that unchecked wrongdoing undermines religious rites and social duties, so ethical restraint is the foundation for meaningful worship and communal well-being.