Shloka 8
अध्याय ३० — क्रोधदोषाः क्षमाप्रशंसा च
Defects of Anger and the Praise of Forbearance
राजानं धर्मगोप्तारं धर्मो रक्षति रक्षित: । इति मे श्रुतमार्याणां त्वां तु मन््ये न रक्षति,मैंने आर्योके मुँहसे सुना है कि यदि धर्मकी रक्षा की जाय तो वह धर्मरक्षक राजाकी स्वयं भी रक्षा करता है। किंतु मुझे मालूम होता है कि वह आपकी रक्षा नहीं कर रहा है
rājānaṃ dharmagoptāraṃ dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ | iti me śrutam āryāṇāṃ tvāṃ tu manye na rakṣati ||
मी आर्यजनांच्या मुखातून ऐकले आहे की रक्षण केलेला धर्म, धर्मरक्षक राजाचे रक्षण करतो; पण तुझ्या बाबतीत तो तुझे रक्षण करीत नाही असे मला वाटते.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse states a moral principle of reciprocity: when a ruler actively protects dharma (justice, right conduct, social order), dharma in turn protects that ruler. It also raises a troubling question—why do the righteous sometimes appear unprotected—inviting reflection on the complexity of karmic results and the testing of virtue.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses someone (a kingly figure) and recalls the traditional maxim that dharma safeguards its guardian. Observing the person’s present distress, he remarks that dharma does not seem to be protecting them, setting up a discussion about righteousness, misfortune, and the apparent mismatch between virtue and worldly outcomes.