Shloka 24
Vāmadeva’s Rājadharma: Norm-Setting, Counsel, and the Prevention of Rāṣṭra-Vināśa (वामदेव-प्रोक्तं राजधर्मम्)
रक्षाधिकरणं युद्ध तथा धर्मानुशासनम् । मन्त्रचिन्ता सुखं काले पञ्चभिर्वर्धते मही
rakṣādhikaraṇaṃ yuddhaṃ tathā dharmānuśāsanam | mantracintā sukhaṃ kāle pañcabhir vardhate mahī ||
Vāmadeva dit : «Un royaume prospère grâce à cinq appuis : un dispositif de protection et de sécurité bien ordonné, la préparation à la guerre, un gouvernement conforme au dharma, une délibération réfléchie sur le conseil et la conduite des affaires, et l’octroi, au moment opportun, du bien-être et de la quiétude au peuple. Par ces cinq, le royaume grandit en force et en stabilité.»
वामदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s realm flourishes when five pillars are maintained together: internal security, military capability, dharma-guided administration, prudent counsel and strategic deliberation, and timely public welfare. Prosperity is presented as an ethical and administrative achievement, not merely economic gain.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, the sage Vāmadeva speaks as a teacher of statecraft, summarizing the essential functions by which a king sustains and expands the kingdom.