Shloka 8
राजधर्मः—प्रमादवर्जनं, दण्डनीतिः, दुर्बलरक्षणम्
Royal Dharma: Vigilance, Just Punishment, Protection of the Vulnerable
अन्नित्रेता त्रयी विद्या यज्ञाश्न॒ सहदक्षिणा: । सर्व एव प्रमाद्यन्ति यदा राजा प्रमाद्यति
agnitrayā trayī vidyā yajñāś ca sahadakṣiṇāḥ | sarva eva pramādyante yadā rājā pramādyati ||
Utathya dit : «Quand le roi devient négligent, tout sombre dans la négligence : les trois feux sacrés, le triple savoir védique et les sacrifices avec leurs dakṣiṇā (rétributions sacerdotales) se dérèglent. Car l’insouciance du souverain se répand dans le royaume, affaiblissant l’ordre rituel et, avec lui, les fondements du dharma».
उतथ्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The ruler’s vigilance is the keystone of dharma: when the king becomes careless, institutional and sacred order collapses—ritual practice, Vedic learning, and the proper functioning of sacrifices all deteriorate.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance and dharma, the sage Utathya warns that royal negligence has cascading effects across society, symbolized by the disruption of the three fires, the three Vedas, and sacrifices with their prescribed gifts.