Shloka 34
Dambhodbhava, Nara-Nārāyaṇa, and the Counsel to Abandon Hubris
Udyoga-parva 94
शुक्ला वदान्या ह्वीमन्त आर्या: पुण्याभिजातय: । अन्योन्यसचिवा राजंस्तान् पाहि महतो भयात्
śuklā vadānyā hrīmantā āryāḥ puṇyābhijātayaḥ | anyonya-sacivā rājan tān pāhi mahato bhayāt ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O King, they are pure in conduct, generous, modest, and noble—born in virtuous lineages and acting as one another’s allies. Protect all of them from this great danger.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s dharma includes safeguarding virtuous and allied rulers—those marked by purity, generosity, modesty, and noble birth—especially when a great danger threatens the political and moral order.
Vaiśampāyana, narrating the events, urges the addressed king to protect a group of righteous, mutually supportive kings from an impending major threat, emphasizing their moral qualities and the ruler’s responsibility toward them.