Shloka 22
Vāmadeva’s Rājadharma: Norm-Setting, Counsel, and the Prevention of Rāṣṭra-Vināśa (वामदेव-प्रोक्तं राजधर्मम्)
विक्रमेण महीं लब्ध्वा प्रजा धर्मेण पालयेत् । आहवे निधन कुर्याद् राजा धर्मपरायण:
vikrameṇa mahīṃ labdhvā prajā dharmeṇa pālayet | āhave nidhanaṃ kuryād rājā dharmaparāyaṇaḥ ||
Having won the earth by valor, a king devoted to dharma should protect his subjects in accordance with righteousness; and in battle he should bring about the destruction of his enemies—not from mere aggression, but as a ruler committed to the duties of kingship.
वामदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse states the twofold duty of a righteous king: to secure the realm through valor and then to govern by dharma—protecting and sustaining the people—while also using force in war to neutralize enemies when required by royal duty.
Vāmadeva is instructing on rājadharma in the Śānti Parva, describing how a dharma-oriented ruler should act after gaining sovereignty: uphold just administration for the subjects and, in the context of battle, decisively defeat hostile forces.