Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 126
शाधि राज्यं च खल्वेतन्नान्यथा मे वचः कुरु । प्रजास्त्वं रक्ष धर्मेण नोत्तरं वक्तुमर्हसि
śādhi rājyaṃ ca khalvetannānyathā me vacaḥ kuru | prajāstvaṃ rakṣa dharmeṇa nottaraṃ vaktumarhasi
हे राज्य निश्चयाने तूच चालव; माझ्या आज्ञेच्या विरुद्ध काही करू नकोस। धर्माने प्रजेचे रक्षण कर; पुढे उत्तर देण्यास तू योग्य नाहीस।
Rāma
Tirtha: Ayodhyā
Type: kshetra
Scene: Rāma, composed and authoritative, instructs a successor/attendant in the courtly setting of Ayodhyā: ‘Rule and protect the people by dharma.’ Courtiers and vānaras stand respectfully; the mood is solemn, kingly, and directive.
FAQs
Authority must be exercised as dharma: the king’s legitimacy rests on protecting people righteously.
Ayodhyā’s dharmic ideal radiates outward—its king sets standards even for distant Laṅkā.
None; it is a governance prescription: prajā-rakṣaṇa through dharma.