Shloka 28
एवं युक्तो महाराज: पाण्डव: पार्थिवर्षभ: । कथं नाहति राजाहमासनं पृथिवीपते,नरेश्वर! इनके सदगुणोंकी गणना नहीं की जा सकती। ये पाण्डुनन्दन नित्य धर्मपरायण तथा दयालु स्वभावके हैं। राजन! समस्त राजाओंके शिरोमणि पाण्डुनन्दन महाराज युधिष्ठिर इस प्रकार सर्वोत्तम गुणोंसे युक्त होकर भी राजोचित आसनके अधिकारी क्यों नहीं हैं?
evaṁ yukto mahārājaḥ pāṇḍavaḥ pārthivarṣabhaḥ | kathaṁ nārhati rājāham āsanaṁ pṛthivīpate nareśvara ||
Arjuna said: “O great king, bull among rulers—this Pandava, endowed with such virtues—how could he not deserve the royal seat? O lord of the earth, O sovereign of men! His noble qualities cannot be fully counted. The son of Pandu is ever devoted to dharma and compassionate by nature. O king, Yudhiṣṭhira, the crown-jewel among all kings, though possessed of the highest excellences, why should he not be entitled to a kingly throne?”
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate kingship is grounded in dharma and character: compassion, steadfast righteousness, and exemplary conduct are presented as the true qualifications for the throne, beyond mere power or circumstance.
Arjuna addresses a king and argues on ethical and political grounds that Yudhiṣṭhira—described as supremely virtuous and dharma-devoted—rightfully deserves the royal seat, framing the point as a rhetorical question.