Shloka 2
राजधर्मः, दण्डनीतिः, कर्तृत्व-विचारः च
Royal Duty, Lawful Discipline, and the Question of Agency
व्यास उवाच प्रजानां पालन धर्मो राज्ञां राजीवलोचन । धर्म: प्रमाणं लोकस्य नित्यं धर्मनिवर्तिन:,व्यासजी बोले--कमलनयन युधिष्ठिर! राजाओंका धर्म प्रजाजनोंका पालन करना ही है। धर्मका अनुसरण करनेवाले लोगोंके लिये सदा धर्म ही प्रमाण है
vyāsa uvāca | prajānāṃ pālana-dharmo rājñāṃ rājīva-locana | dharmaḥ pramāṇaṃ lokasya nityaṃ dharma-nivartinaḥ ||
Vyāsa berkata: “Wahai yang bermata teratai, dharma para raja ialah memelihara dan melindungi rakyat. Bagi mereka yang hidup menurut dharma, dharma sendirilah ukuran dan wewenang yang abadi bagi dunia.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s primary dharma is to protect and sustain the people; and for those committed to righteous conduct, dharma itself functions as the ultimate authority and measure for decisions.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on statecraft and ethics, Vyāsa addresses Yudhiṣṭhira and frames royal duty (rājadharma) as public protection, grounding political authority in adherence to dharma.