Shloka 49
Rudra-Śiva: Names, Two Natures, and the Logic of Epithets (रुद्रनाम-बहुरूपत्व-प्रकरणम्)
तस्य राज्ञ: परो धर्मो दम: स्वाध्याय एव च | अग्निहोत्रपरिस्पन्दो दानाध्ययनमेव च
tasya rājñaḥ paro dharmo damaḥ svādhyāya eva ca | agnihotra-parispando dānādhyayanam eva ca ||
Pour ce roi, le dharma le plus élevé est la maîtrise de soi et l’étude régulière de l’enseignement sacré ; de même, l’accomplissement assidu de l’Agnihotra, ainsi que le don et l’étude. Ainsi Maheshvara définit la droiture royale non comme une simple puissance, mais comme une conduite disciplinée, soutenue par la pratique védique, le savoir et la générosité.
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s supreme dharma is inner discipline (dama) supported by sacred learning (svādhyāya/adhyayana), sustained ritual responsibility (Agnihotra), and outward generosity (dāna). Kingship is validated by restraint, learning, and beneficence rather than force alone.
Śrīmaheśvara is instructing about the standards of righteous conduct for a king, listing the principal practices that uphold royal dharma: self-control, scriptural study, faithful performance of the Agnihotra rite, and charity.