Shloka 28
उतथ्योपदेशः—राजधर्मः, दर्पनिग्रहः, प्रजारक्षणम्
Utathya’s Instruction: Royal Dharma, Restraint of Pride, Protection of Subjects
राजर्षयश्न बहवस्तथा बुध्यस्व पार्थिव । राजा भवति तं जित्वा दासस्तेन पराजित:
rājarṣayaś ca bahavas tathā budhyasva pārthiva | rājā bhavati taṁ jitvā dāsas tena parājitaḥ ||
(rājan! sampattikā putro hi darpaḥ, yo 'dharmāṁśena utpannaḥ—iti śruti-vacanaṁ; tena darpeṇa bahavo devāḥ asurāś ca rājarṣayaś ca vināśitāḥ; ataḥ bhūpāla! adyāpi cetasā budhyasva; yaḥ darpaṁ jayati sa rājā, yaś ca tena parājīyate sa dāsaḥ.)
Utathya said: “Many royal seers have met ruin because of this—so understand, O king. He who conquers arrogance becomes truly a king; he who is defeated by it becomes a slave. O ruler, the Veda-tradition declares that Arrogance is the son of Prosperity, born from a portion of Adharma. That Arrogance has destroyed many gods, demons, and royal sages. Therefore, O protector of the earth, awaken even now: mastery over pride is sovereignty; subjection to pride is bondage.”
उतथ्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
True sovereignty is inner: a ruler who conquers darpa (arrogant pride) is a real king, while one conquered by pride becomes a slave to it. Prosperity can breed arrogance, and arrogance—rooted in adharma—brings ruin even to the great.
Utathya is instructing a king in the Shanti Parva’s moral counsel. He warns that many royal sages have fallen due to pride, cites Śruti as authority for pride’s dangerous origin, and urges the king to awaken and practice self-restraint.