Shloka 41
उद्योगपर्व अध्याय १३३ — संजये मातृउपदेशः
Udyoga Parva Adhyaya 133 — A Mother’s Counsel to Saṃjaya
नियच्छन्नितरान् वर्णान् विनिध्नन् सर्वदुष्कृत: । ससहायो<5सहायो वा यावज्जीवं तथा भवेत्
niyacchann itarān varṇān vinighnan sarva-duṣkṛtaḥ | sa-sahāyo 'sahāyo vā yāvaj-jīvaṃ tathā bhavet ||
“वह अन्य वर्णों को नियंत्रण में रखे और समस्त दुष्कर्मियों को दण्ड दे। सहायक हों या न हों, क्षत्रिय जीवनभर इसी कर्तव्य और पराक्रम में अडिग रहे।”
पुत्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse states a central principle of rājadharma: a Kṣatriya must uphold social order by restraining disruptive forces and punishing wrongdoing, remaining unwavering in this responsibility throughout life, whether aided or unaided.
In a didactic exchange marked by “the son said,” the speaker lays down a normative rule for Kṣatriya conduct—emphasizing lifelong vigilance, enforcement of order, and readiness to act even without external support.