Shloka 41
राजधर्मः—प्रमादवर्जनं, दण्डनीतिः, दुर्बलरक्षणम्
Royal Dharma: Vigilance, Just Punishment, Protection of the Vulnerable
निग्रहानुग्रहौ चोभौ यत्र स्यातां प्रतिष्ठितौ अस्मिन् लोके परे चैव राजा स प्राप्रुते फलम्,जिसमें निग्रह* और अनुग्रहः दोनों प्रतिष्ठित हों, वह राजा इहलोक और परलोकमें मनोवांछित फल पाता है
nigrahānugrahau cobhau yatra syātāṁ pratiṣṭhitau | asmin loke pare caiva rājā sa prāpnoti phalam ||
Utathya dit : Le roi en qui sont solidement établis l’un et l’autre—la contrainte (le châtiment du tort) et la faveur (la protection et la récompense du digne)—obtient les fruits désirés, en ce monde comme dans l’autre.
उतथ्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ideal rulership rests on a balance of nigraha (restraining and punishing wrongdoing) and anugraha (protecting and rewarding the worthy). When both are firmly applied, the ruler secures welfare and legitimacy in this life and merit in the next.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, the sage Utathya addresses principles of kingship, emphasizing that a king must combine discipline with benevolence to uphold order and ensure both worldly prosperity and otherworldly reward.