Shloka 7
राजधर्मप्रश्नः — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry into Rājadharma (Śānti-parva 56)
उदयन् हि यथा सूर्यो नाशयत्यशुभं तम: । राजधर्मास्तथालोक्यां निक्षिपन्त्यशुभां गतिम्
udayan hi yathā sūryo nāśayaty aśubhaṃ tamaḥ | rājadharmās tathā lokyāṃ nikṣipanty aśubhāṃ gatim ||
ユディシュティラは言った。「太陽が昇れば不吉なる闇を滅するように、王の務めもまた、世において正しく施されるなら、人々から功徳の世界を奪う邪悪な行いの道を払い捨てる。」
युधिषछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Rajadharma—just governance and the king’s ethical duties—functions like sunlight: it removes harmful, inauspicious behavior and prevents people from falling into destructive paths that block higher welfare and merit.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue on statecraft and dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on the civilizing role of kingship, using the image of the rising sun dispelling darkness to describe how proper rule restrains wrongdoing in society.