Shloka 226
उत्तङ्कोपाख्यानप्रारम्भः — Uttanka’s Tapas, Viṣṇu-stuti, and the Dhundhumāra Prophecy
Opening
कथं च वर्तमानो वै न च्यवेयं स्वधर्मत: । “मुने! प्रजाकी रक्षा करते हुए किस धर्ममें स्थित रहना चाहिये। मेरा व्यवहार और बर्ताव कैसा हो, जिससे मैं स्वधर्मसे कभी च्युत न होऊँ?”
kathaṃ ca vartamāno vai na cyaveyaṃ svadharmataḥ |
“And how, while conducting myself in the world, may I never fall away from my own dharma? O sage, while protecting the people, in what dharma should I remain established, and what should my conduct and behavior be so that I do not deviate from my rightful duty?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a central ethical concern of rajadharma: one must actively govern and protect the people while remaining unwavering in one’s own prescribed duty (svadharma). It emphasizes vigilance in conduct so that power and action do not cause deviation from righteousness.
Vaiśampāyana narrates a question posed in a didactic context: the speaker seeks guidance from a sage on the proper way to live and rule—specifically, how to protect subjects and yet remain firmly established in svadharma without moral lapse.