Shloka 61
Adhyaya 69 — The King’s Neglect of His Wife and the Restoration of Dharma
चलतः स्थापयस्यान्यान् स्वधर्मेषु महीपते । त्वां स्वधर्माद्विचलितं कोऽपरः स्थापयिष्यति ॥
calataḥ sthāpayasy anyān svadharmeṣu mahīpate / tvāṃ svadharmād vicalitaṃ ko 'paraḥ sthāpayiṣyati
Wahai Raja, engkau meneguhkan orang lain yang tergelincir dari swadharma mereka. Namun bila engkau sendiri terguncang dari dharmamu, siapakah yang akan meneguhkanmu?
FAQs
The ruler functions as society’s stabilizing axis; therefore, the king must be most vigilant about his own svadharma. Moral authority is undermined when the one who corrects others becomes himself negligent.
This belongs primarily to Manvantara (narratives and norms situated within a Manu-era), with an ethical-dharma instruction embedded in the story.
The ‘king’ can be read as the governing faculty (buddhi/niyantṛ) in a person: if the inner governor deviates from dharma, the senses and habits cannot be restrained by any external force.