Shloka 5
Āśramadharma and the Marks of the Muni
Yayāti–Aṣṭaka Saṃvāda
धर्मेण च प्रजा: सर्वा यथावदनुरञ्जयन् । ययाति: पालयामास साक्षादिन्द्र इवापर:,वे अतिथियोंको अन्न और जल देकर, वैश्योंको उनके धन-वैभवकी रक्षा करके, शूद्रोंको दयाभावसे, लुटेरोंको कैद करके तथा सम्पूर्ण प्रजाको धर्मपूर्वक संरक्षणद्वारा प्रसन्न रखते थे। इस प्रकार साक्षात् दूसरे इन्द्रके समान राजा ययातिने समस्त प्रजाका पालन किया
dharmeṇa ca prajāḥ sarvā yathāvad anurañjayan | yayātiḥ pālayāmāsa sākṣād indra ivāparaḥ ||
By upholding dharma, King Yayāti pleased all his subjects in the proper way and protected them—like Indra himself, as it were, a second Indra among men. The verse portrays ideal kingship: governance that wins the people’s goodwill through righteous protection rather than mere power.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s legitimacy and success rest on dharma: protecting and pleasing the people in a fitting way. The verse holds up Yayāti as an exemplar of rajadharma—power exercised as righteous guardianship.
Vaiśampāyana describes King Yayāti’s rule, emphasizing that he governed by dharma and kept all subjects content, being compared to Indra as a model sovereign.