Shloka 6
राजधर्मः—प्रमादवर्जनं, दण्डनीतिः, दुर्बलरक्षणम्
Royal Dharma: Vigilance, Just Punishment, Protection of the Vulnerable
कृतं त्रेता द्वापरं च कलिश्न भरतर्षभ । राजवृत्तानि सर्वाणि राजैव युगमुच्यते,भरतश्रेष्ठ! सत्ययुग, त्रेता, द्वापर और कलियुग--ये सब-के-सब राजाके आचरणोंमें स्थित हैं। राजा ही युगोंका प्रवर्तक होनेके कारण युग कहलाता है
kṛtaṃ tretā dvāparaṃ ca kaliś ca bharatarṣabha | rājavṛttāni sarvāṇi rājā eva yugam ucyate, bharataśreṣṭha ||
Utathya said: “O bull among the Bharatas, the ages—Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali—are all grounded in the conduct of the king. Indeed, it is the king who is called the ‘age’, for by his governance and personal discipline he sets the character and direction of the time.”
उतथ्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The moral quality of an age is not merely cosmic fate; it is concretely produced by the king’s conduct. When the ruler embodies dharma, society experiences a ‘Kṛta-like’ condition; when the ruler is unrighteous, society slides toward ‘Kali-like’ disorder. Thus political leadership is presented as a primary driver of collective ethics.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, the sage Utathya addresses a Bharata prince/kingly listener, explaining that the four yugas are reflected in and effectively instituted by the behavior and policies of the reigning king.