Shloka 39
निग्रहानुग्रहैः सम्यग् यदा राजा प्रवर्तते । तदा भवन्ति लोकस्य मर्यादा: सुव्यवस्थिता:,जब राजा निग्रह और अनुग्रहके द्वारा प्रजावर्गके साथ यथोचित बर्ताव करता है, तभी लोककी सम्पूर्ण मर्यादाएँ सुरक्षित होती हैं
nigrahānugrahaiḥ samyag yadā rājā pravartate | tadā bhavanti lokasya maryādāḥ suvyavasthitāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: When a king conducts himself properly—restraining wrongdoing and granting favor where it is due—then the boundaries of social order and lawful conduct among the people remain firmly and well established.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler preserves dharma by balancing nigraha (discipline/punishment of wrongdoing) with anugraha (protection and reward). This measured governance stabilizes maryādā—social and moral boundaries—so society remains orderly.
Vaiśampāyana delivers a general dharma-teaching on rajadharma: he explains how a king’s proper use of restraint and favor maintains the people’s norms and the overall stability of the realm.