Shloka 11
राजधर्मः—प्रमादवर्जनं, दण्डनीतिः, दुर्बलरक्षणम्
Royal Dharma: Vigilance, Just Punishment, Protection of the Vulnerable
जब राजा प्रमाद करने लगता है, तब उसकी स्त्री, पुत्र, बान्धव तथा सुहृद् सब मिलकर शोक करते हैं ।। हस्तिनो<श्वाश्न गावश्चाप्युष्टा श्वतरगर्द भा: । अधर्मभूते नृपतौ सर्वे सीदन्ति जन्तवः,राजाके पापपरायण हो जानेपर उसके हाथी, घोड़े, गौ, ऊँट, खच्चर और गदहे आदि सभी पशु दुःख पाते हैं
hastino ’śvāś ca gāvaś cāpy uṣṭrāḥ śvataragardabhāḥ | adharmabhūte nṛpatau sarve sīdanti jantavaḥ ||
Utathya said: When a king becomes established in unrighteousness, the harm does not stop with the court alone. Even the animals of the realm—elephants, horses, cattle, camels, mules, and donkeys—fall into distress; for under an adharma-ridden ruler, all living beings languish.
उतथ्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s adharma harms the entire ecosystem of the kingdom: governance is a moral force whose effects reach beyond humans to all living beings, including animals dependent on the state’s order and care.
In the Shanti Parva’s discourse on rājadharma, Utathya warns that when a king becomes unrighteous, widespread suffering follows—symbolized by the distress of royal and agrarian animals (elephants, horses, cattle, and beasts of burden), implying collapse of prosperity and protection.