Shloka 6
राजधर्मप्रश्नः — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry into Rājadharma (Śānti-parva 56)
तत्र चेत् सम्प्रमुह्देत धर्मे राजर्षिसेविते । लोकस्य संस्था न भवेत् सर्व च व्याकुलीभवेत्
tatra cet sampramuhyeta dharme rājarṣi-sevite | lokasya saṃsthā na bhavet sarvaṃ ca vyākulībhavet ||
古の王仙たちが守り行じたその王のダルマにおいて、もし王が迷妄と怠慢に陥るなら、世の秩序は成り立たず、万民は苦悩と混乱へ投げ込まれるであろう。
युधिषछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Royal dharma is not merely personal virtue but the foundation of public order; if a ruler becomes deluded or negligent in that duty, society’s stability collapses and widespread suffering follows.
Yudhiṣṭhira is reflecting on the gravity of kingship in the Śānti Parva’s discussions on governance, warning that a king’s lapse from the time-honored rāja-dharma practiced by ancient rājarṣis endangers the welfare of the entire world.