Shloka 16
Śaṅkha–Likhita Upākhyāna: Daṇḍa, Confession, and the Purification of Kingship (शङ्ख-लिखितोपाख्यानम्)
“महातेजस्वी युधिष्ठिर! दैवका मारा हुआ राजा कार्य करनेके समय जिस कार्यको नहीं सिद्ध कर पाता, उसमें उसका कोई दोष या अपराध नहीं बताया जाता है ।। तरसा बुद्धिपूर्व वा निग्राह्मा एव शत्रवः । पापै: सह न संदध्याद् राज्यं पण्यं न कारयेत्
mahātejasvī yudhiṣṭhira! daivakā mārā-huā rājā kārya-karaṇe samaye yasmin kārye na siddhiṃ prāpnoti, tasmin tasya na kaścid doṣo nāparādho 'bhidhīyate. tarasā buddhipūrvam vā nigrāhyā eva śatravaḥ; pāpaiḥ saha na sandadhyād, rājyaṃ paṇyaṃ na kārayet.
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai Yudhiṣṭhira yang bercahaya agung! Bila seorang raja dipukul takdir pada saat bertindak sehingga tak mampu menuntaskan tugasnya, tiada cela ditimpakan padanya. Namun musuh harus ditundukkan—entah dengan ketegasan yang cepat, entah dengan kecerdasan yang terukur. Jangan bersekutu dengan orang jahat, dan jangan jadikan kerajaan barang dagangan untuk tawar-menawar.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse balances compassion and accountability: failures caused by destiny are not treated as moral guilt, yet a ruler must still act decisively and intelligently—restraining enemies, avoiding alliances with the wicked, and never reducing sovereignty to something to be bought and sold.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Vaiśampāyana addresses Yudhiṣṭhira, summarizing principles of governance: how to judge failure under the pressure of fate, how to handle hostile forces, and what kinds of political compromises are ethically unacceptable.