Shloka 28
राजधर्मः—प्रमादवर्जनं, दण्डनीतिः, दुर्बलरक्षणम्
Royal Dharma: Vigilance, Just Punishment, Protection of the Vulnerable
यत्र पापा ज्ञायमानाक्षरन्ति सतां कलिववंन्दते तत्र राज्ञ: । यदा राजा शास्ति नरानशिष्टां- स्तदा राज्यं वर्धते भूमिपस्य,जहाँ पापी मनुष्य प्रकटरूपसे निर्भय विचरते हैं, वहाँ सत्पुरुषोंकी दृष्टिमें समझा जाता है कि राजाको कलियुगने घेर लिया है; किंतु जब राजा दुष्ट मनुष्योंको दण्ड देता है, तब उसका राज्य सब ओरसे उन्नत होने लगता है
utathya uvāca |
yatra pāpā jñāyamānāś caranti satāṁ kali-varṇaṁ dṛśyate tatra rājñaḥ |
yadā rājā śāsti narān aśiṣṭāṁs tadā rājyaṁ vardhate bhūmipasya ||
Utathya said: “Where sinners, though clearly recognized as such, move about openly and without fear, the righteous understand that the king there has been surrounded by the spirit of Kali (moral decline). But when a king disciplines and punishes the unruly and wicked, then the realm of that lord of the earth grows and prospers on every side.”
उतथ्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s legitimacy and the health of his realm are measured by the protection of dharma: if known wrongdoers act fearlessly, it signals moral collapse (Kali’s ascendancy) and failure of governance; firm, just discipline of the unruly enables the kingdom to flourish.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, the sage Utathya advises about signs of good and bad rule: unchecked public wrongdoing indicates the king is overpowered by Kali, whereas active punishment of the wicked leads to the growth and stability of the state.