Shloka 2
Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
कथं चारं प्रयुड्जीत वर्णान् विश्वासयेत् कथम् | कथें भृत्यान् कथं दारान् कथे पुत्रांक्ष भारत
kathaṃ cāraṃ prayuñjīta varṇān viśvāsayet katham | kathaṃ bhṛtyān kathaṃ dārān kathe putrān kṣa bhārata ||
ユディシュティラは言った。「王はいかにして密偵を用いるべきでしょうか。いかにして諸身分の人々の心に信を起こさせるべきでしょうか。さらに、ああバーラタよ、家臣や后妃、そして王子たちをいかに職務に就かせ—その信頼をもいかにして得るべきでしょうか。」
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a central problem of rājadharma: effective rule requires both intelligence-gathering (cāra) and the ethical cultivation of trust—across society (varṇas) and within the ruler’s own household and administration (servants, wives, sons).
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on kingship, Yudhiṣṭhira asks for guidance on practical governance: how to appoint and use spies, and how to secure the confidence and cooperation of different social groups and close dependents within the royal sphere.