Shloka 25
Adhyāya 128 — Proposal to Restrain Keśava; Sātyaki’s Warning and Vidura–Dhṛtarāṣṭra Counsel
लोकेश्वर प्रभुत्वं हि महदेतद् दुरात्मभि: । राज्यं नामेप्सितं स्थानं न शक््यमभिरक्षितुम्
Vaishampāyana uvāca |
Lokeśvara prabhutvaṃ hi mahad etad durātmabhiḥ |
Rājyaṃ nāmepsitaṃ sthānaṃ na śakyam abhirakṣitum ||
वैशम्पायन बोले—हे जनेश्वर! लोक-प्रभुत्व महान भार है। ‘राज्य’ नामक यह अभीष्ट पद दुष्ट-अन्तःकरण वालों से सुरक्षित नहीं रह सकता।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kingship is a heavy moral responsibility; without inner purity and self-control, a ruler cannot truly protect or sustain the realm. Political power requires ethical fitness, not merely desire for office.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration during the Udyoga Parva, a reflective statement is made about the nature of sovereignty: the position of rulership is greatly desired, yet it cannot be properly maintained by those of corrupt disposition—framing the ethical stakes behind the impending political conflict.