Shloka 15
Draupadī’s Exhortation on Rājadharma and Daṇḍa (द्रौपद्याः राजधर्मोपदेशः)
मित्रता सर्वभूतेषु दानमध्ययनं तप: । ब्राह्मणस्यैव धर्म: स्यान्न राज्ञो राजसत्तम,नृपश्रेष्ठ! समस्त प्राणियोंके प्रति मैत्रीभाव, दान लेना, देना, अध्ययन और तपस्या-- यह ब्राह्मणका ही धर्म है, राजाका नहीं
mitratā sarvabhūteṣu dānam adhyayanaṃ tapaḥ | brāhmaṇasyaiva dharmaḥ syān na rājño rājasattama nṛpaśreṣṭha ||
വൈശമ്പായനൻ പറഞ്ഞു— സർവ്വഭൂതങ്ങളോടും മൈത്രി, ദാനം (നൽകലും സ്വീകരിക്കലും), ശാസ്ത്രാധ്യയനം, തപസ്സ്—ഇവ ബ്രാഹ്മണനുടേതായ ധർമ്മങ്ങൾ; രാജാവിന്റേതല്ല, ഹേ രാജശ്രേഷ്ഠാ।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse distinguishes role-based dharma: virtues like universal friendliness, gift-practice, scriptural study, and austerity are presented as primarily brāhmaṇa-duties, while a king’s dharma is implied to be different (centered on governance, protection, and enforcement of order).
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma after the war, Vaiśampāyana reports a teaching addressed to a king, clarifying that certain ascetic and scholastic practices are not the king’s primary obligations but belong to the brāhmaṇa’s sphere.