Shloka 13
राजधर्मः—प्रमादवर्जनं, दण्डनीतिः, दुर्बलरक्षणम्
Royal Dharma: Vigilance, Just Punishment, Protection of the Vulnerable
यच्च भूतं सम्भजते ये च भूतास्तदन्वया: । अधर्मस्थे हि नृपतौ सर्वे शोचन्ति पार्थिव
yac ca bhūtaṃ sambhajate ye ca bhūtās tad-anvayāḥ | adharmasthe hi nṛpatau sarve śocanti pārthiva ||
Utathya dit : «Tous les êtres qu’un roi soutient et sert — en leur donnant nourriture et autres secours — ainsi que tous ceux qui leur sont liés, s’affligent inévitablement lorsque ce souverain s’établit dans l’adharma. Car quand un maître de la terre devient injuste, la douleur se répand à travers tout le réseau des dépendants et des relations que son règne entretient.»
उतथ्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s personal adherence to dharma is not private; it determines the well-being of all who depend on him. When the ruler becomes adharmic, grief and disorder spread through the entire network of subjects and associates sustained by his governance.
Utathya is instructing a king about the consequences of unrighteous rule, emphasizing that those maintained by royal support—and those connected to them—collectively suffer and lament when the sovereign turns to adharma.