Shloka 25
Vāmadeva’s Rājadharma: Norm-Setting, Counsel, and the Prevention of Rāṣṭra-Vināśa (वामदेव-प्रोक्तं राजधर्मम्)
एतानि यस्य गुप्तानि स राजा राजसत्तम: । सतत वर्तमानो>त्र राजा धत्ते महीमिमाम्
etāni yasya guptāni sa rājā rājasattamaḥ | satataṃ vartamāno 'tra rājā dhatte mahīm imām ||
That king in whom these matters remain guarded and well-protected is deemed the best among rulers. Only the sovereign who is continually engaged in upholding them is able to sustain and protect this earth.
वामदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler becomes foremost by safeguarding essential principles (and sensitive matters of rule) and by constant commitment to their observance; sustained, disciplined governance is what enables protection of the realm.
Vāmadeva is instructing on rājadharma in the Śānti Parva, defining the mark of an exemplary king: one who keeps crucial matters protected and remains continually devoted to maintaining those standards, thereby upholding the earth/kingdom.