Shloka 19
Śaṅkha–Likhita Upākhyāna: Daṇḍa, Confession, and the Purification of Kingship (शङ्ख-लिखितोपाख्यानम्)
अरक्षिता दुर्विनीतो मानी स्तब्धो5भ्यसूयक: । एनसा युज्यते राजा दुर्दान्त इति चोच्यते
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
arakṣitā durvinīto mānī stabdho 'bhyasūyakaḥ |
enasā yujyate rājā durdānta iti cocyate ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Raja yang tidak melindungi rakyatnya—yang tak berdisiplin, angkuh, kaku oleh kesombongan, dan gemar mencari-cari kesalahan—akan terikat pada dosa; karena itu orang menyebutnya ‘durdānta’, raja yang liar dan tak terkendali.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s primary dharma is protection of the people; when a king neglects this duty and is ruled by pride, arrogance, and fault-finding, he accrues sin and is judged ‘durdānta’—unrestrained and unfit to govern.
Within the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Vaiśampāyana reports a normative statement defining the marks of a bad king: failure to protect subjects combined with moral vices, leading to social condemnation and spiritual demerit.