Shloka 3

उतथ्योपदेशः—राजधर्मः, दर्पनिग्रहः, प्रजारक्षणम्

Utathya’s Instruction: Royal Dharma, Restraint of Pride, Protection of Subjects

Devanagari script

उतथ्य उवाच धर्माय राजा भवति न कामकरणाय तु । मान्धातरिति जानीहि राजा लोकस्य रक्षिता

Transliteration

utathya uvāca | dharmāya rājā bhavati na kāmakaraṇāya tu | māndhātareti jānīhi rājā lokasya rakṣitā ||

Translation

Utathya said: “A king exists for the sake of dharma—not for the pursuit of personal pleasures. Know this, O Māndhātṛ: the king is the protector of the whole world.”

Word by Word

• उतथ्यः: Utathya (sage)
• उतथ्यः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: उतथ्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said/spoke
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• धर्माय: for dharma / for righteousness
• धर्माय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भवति: is/comes to be
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• कामकरणाय: for the doing of desires / for indulgence in pleasures
• कामकरणाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कामकरण
• Form: Neuter, Dative, Singular

• तु: but
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• मान्धातरिति: "(O) Māndhātṛ" (thus, as a form of address)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मान्धातृ + इति

• जानीहि: know (you should know)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• लोकस्य: of the world/people
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• रक्षिता: protector/guardian
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्ष्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Agent noun (tṛc/तृच्): रक्षिता = protector

Speaker

उतथ्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Utathya
• Māndhātṛ
• rājā (the king)
• loka (the world/people)
• dharma
• kāma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Kingship is a trust oriented toward dharma: the ruler’s purpose is to uphold righteousness and protect the people, not to use power for personal enjoyment.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on statecraft and ethics, the sage Utathya addresses King Māndhātṛ, reminding him that a king’s role is guardianship of the world through dharma rather than indulgence in kāma.