Shloka 3
राजधर्मः, दण्डनीतिः, कर्तृत्व-विचारः च
Royal Duty, Lawful Discipline, and the Question of Agency
अनुतिष्ठस्व तद् राजन् पितृपैतामहं पदम् । ब्राह्मणेषु तपो धर्म: स नित्यो वेदनिश्चितः
anutiṣṭhasva tad rājan pitr̥paitāmahaṁ padam | brāhmaṇeṣu tapo dharmaḥ sa nityo vedaniścitaḥ ||
Vyāsa dit : « Ainsi donc, ô roi, prends en main et suis avec constance la voie ancestrale de la royauté, transmise par ton père et tes aïeux. Quant aux brahmanes, l’austérité est le devoir prescrit—immuable—ainsi que l’a fixé le Veda lui-même. »
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Each social role has its own dharma: a king should uphold inherited kingship responsibly (rājadharma), while Brahmins are enjoined to maintain tapas as a constant duty, grounded in Vedic authority.
Vyāsa addresses a king and urges him to accept and perform the traditional responsibilities of rulership, while clarifying that austerity is primarily the enduring duty of Brahmins, as affirmed by the Veda.