Shloka 21
Vidurā–Putra Saṃvāda: Utsāha, Kīrti, and Kṣātra Resolve
Udyoga-parva 131
राजधर्मानवेक्षस्व पितृपैतामहोचितान् । नैतद् राजर्षिवत्तं हि यत्र त्वं स्थातुमिच्छसि
rājadharmān avekṣasva pitṛpaitāmaho-citān | naitad rājārṣi-vṛttaṃ hi yatra tvaṃ sthātum icchasi ||
Vāyu dit : «Considère plutôt les devoirs du roi, ceux que ton père et tes ancêtres ont honorés et observés. La voie que tu veux emprunter n’est pas la conduite des rājaṛṣi, les rois-sages ; ce n’est pas le véritable dharma de la royauté.»
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should align his choices with rājadharma—the time-tested, proper standards of kingship upheld by his lineage—rather than adopting a course that departs from the ethical conduct associated with rājārṣis (ideal dharmic kings).
Vāyu addresses the listener with a corrective warning, urging him to reconsider his intended stance and to follow the established royal code practiced by his father and ancestors, implying that the contemplated action is unworthy of dharmic kingship.