Shloka 12
राजधर्मः—प्रमादवर्जनं, दण्डनीतिः, दुर्बलरक्षणम्
Royal Dharma: Vigilance, Just Punishment, Protection of the Vulnerable
दुर्बलार्थ बल॑ सृष्टं धात्रा मान्धातरुच्यते । अबलं तु महद्धूतं यस्मिन् सर्व प्रतिष्ठितम्,मान्धाता! कहते हैं कि विधाताने दुर्बल प्राणियोंकी रक्षाके लिये ही बलसम्पन्न राजाकी सृष्टि की है। निर्बल प्राणियोंका महान् समुदाय राजाके बलपर टिका हुआ है
durbalārthaṃ balaṃ sṛṣṭaṃ dhātrā māndhātar ucyate | abalaṃ tu mahad bhūtaṃ yasmin sarvaṃ pratiṣṭhitam ||
O Māndhātṛ, it is said that the Creator ordained royal power for the sake of the weak—so that those without strength might be protected. For the vast multitude of the powerless rests upon the king’s strength as its support.
उतथ्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Royal power is justified ethically as a protective institution: the king’s strength exists primarily to safeguard the weak, and society’s vulnerable depend upon that strength for stability.
Utathya addresses King Māndhātṛ, explaining a principle of rājadharma: the Creator established kingship and force so that the powerless multitude may be protected and supported.