Shloka 3
Vyavahāra-Śuddhi and Rājadharma: Clean Administration, Counsel, and Proportional Punishment
Chapter 86
युधिछिर उवाच कीदशैरव्यवहारैस्तु कैश्न व्यवहरेन्नप: । एतत्पृष्टो महाप्राज्ञ यथावद् वक्तुमहसि
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | kīdṛśair avyavahārais tu kaiś ca vyavaharen nṛpaḥ | etat pṛṣṭo mahāprājña yathāvad vaktum arhasi ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai yang amat bijaksana, dengan orang-orang yang berperilaku tidak patut—jenis apakah mereka—dan dengan cara bagaimana seorang raja seharusnya berurusan? Karena aku menanyakannya, jelaskanlah dengan tepat dan berurutan.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a rājadharma inquiry: a king must know how to engage different types of people, including those of improper conduct, and must apply appropriate, principled modes of interaction rather than a single uniform approach.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on governance and dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira asks a highly wise teacher to explain, in a systematic and correct way, how a ruler should conduct dealings with various kinds of persons.