Shloka 49
Rudra-Śiva: Names, Two Natures, and the Logic of Epithets (रुद्रनाम-बहुरूपत्व-प्रकरणम्)
तस्य राज्ञ: परो धर्मो दम: स्वाध्याय एव च | अग्निहोत्रपरिस्पन्दो दानाध्ययनमेव च
tasya rājñaḥ paro dharmo damaḥ svādhyāya eva ca | agnihotra-parispando dānādhyayanam eva ca ||
Bagi raja itu, dharma yang tertinggi ialah pengendalian diri (dama) dan pengajian ajaran suci secara tetap; demikian juga pelaksanaan Agnihotra dengan tekun, beserta amalan sedekah dan pembelajaran. Dengan demikian, Maheshvara menegaskan bahawa kebenaran raja bukan sekadar kuasa, tetapi disiplin diri yang disokong oleh amalan Veda, ilmu, dan kemurahan hati.
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s supreme dharma is inner discipline (dama) supported by sacred learning (svādhyāya/adhyayana), sustained ritual responsibility (Agnihotra), and outward generosity (dāna). Kingship is validated by restraint, learning, and beneficence rather than force alone.
Śrīmaheśvara is instructing about the standards of righteous conduct for a king, listing the principal practices that uphold royal dharma: self-control, scriptural study, faithful performance of the Agnihotra rite, and charity.