Shloka 9
Rājā–Rāja-Śabda-Prabhavaḥ — The Origin and Rationale of Kingship and Daṇḍanīti
कथमेको महीं कृत्स्नां शूरवीरार्यसंकुलाम् । रक्षत्यपि च लोकस्य प्रसादमभिवाउछति,अकेला होनेपर भी वह शूरवीर एवं सत्पुरुषोंसे भरी हुई इस सारी पृथ्वीका कैसे पालन करता है और कैसे सम्पूर्ण जगत्की प्रसन्नता चाहता है?
katham eko mahīṁ kṛtsnāṁ śūravīrāryasaṅkulām | rakṣaty api ca lokasya prasādam abhivāñchati ||
Yudhiṣṭhira preguntó: «¿Cómo puede un solo soberano, completamente solo, proteger toda esta tierra—colmado de guerreros heroicos y hombres nobles—y aun así procurar el favor y la satisfacción de todo el pueblo?»
युधिछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a central problem of rājadharma: political power is not merely coercive protection but must be exercised so that the ruler secures both safety and the willing goodwill of the people. It points to the ethical ideal that governance must harmonize strength (rakṣaṇa) with public satisfaction (prasāda).
In Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira, seeking instruction on righteous rule after the war, asks how a lone king can effectively protect a vast realm full of powerful and noble individuals, and at the same time win the contentment of the whole populace.