Shloka 15
Draupadī’s Exhortation on Rājadharma and Daṇḍa (द्रौपद्याः राजधर्मोपदेशः)
मित्रता सर्वभूतेषु दानमध्ययनं तप: । ब्राह्मणस्यैव धर्म: स्यान्न राज्ञो राजसत्तम,नृपश्रेष्ठ! समस्त प्राणियोंके प्रति मैत्रीभाव, दान लेना, देना, अध्ययन और तपस्या-- यह ब्राह्मणका ही धर्म है, राजाका नहीं
mitratā sarvabhūteṣu dānam adhyayanaṃ tapaḥ | brāhmaṇasyaiva dharmaḥ syān na rājño rājasattama nṛpaśreṣṭha ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Persahabatan kepada semua makhluk, pelaksanaan dana (memberi dan menerima), belajar ajaran suci, dan tapa—itulah dharma yang layak bagi seorang brāhmaṇa saja, bukan bagi raja, wahai yang terbaik di antara para raja.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse distinguishes role-based dharma: virtues like universal friendliness, gift-practice, scriptural study, and austerity are presented as primarily brāhmaṇa-duties, while a king’s dharma is implied to be different (centered on governance, protection, and enforcement of order).
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma after the war, Vaiśampāyana reports a teaching addressed to a king, clarifying that certain ascetic and scholastic practices are not the king’s primary obligations but belong to the brāhmaṇa’s sphere.