Shloka 24
उतथ्योपदेशः—राजधर्मः, दर्पनिग्रहः, प्रजारक्षणम्
Utathya’s Instruction: Royal Dharma, Restraint of Pride, Protection of Subjects
ब्राह्मणानां सदासूयाद् बाल्याद् वैरोचनो बलि: । अथास्माच्छीरपाक्रामद् या$स्मिन्नासीत् प्रतापिनी
brāhmaṇānāṃ sadāsūyād bālyād vairocano baliḥ | athāsmāc chīrapākrāmad yā’sminn āsīt pratāpinī ||
उतथ्य ने कहा— विरोचन-पुत्र बलि बाल्यकाल से ही ब्राह्मणों पर सदा दोषारोपण करता था। इसलिए जो शत्रुओं को संताप देने वाली उसकी राजलक्ष्मी थी, वह उससे हट गई।
उतथ्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Persistent asūyā—habitual fault-finding and contempt—toward Brahmins (symbols of learning, ritual order, and moral counsel) undermines dharma; when dharma is weakened, śrī (legitimate prosperity and sovereignty) withdraws, leading to decline.
Utathya cites Bali’s lifelong tendency to disparage Brahmins as the cause of his loss of royal fortune: the powerful, enemy-scorching prosperity that resided in him leaves him because of this ethical failing.