Shloka 21
Ālasyadoṣa-nirdeśa (On the Fault of Negligence) — The Camel’s Long-Neck Exemplum
इदं हि सद्धिः कथित विधिज्ञै: पुरा महेन्द्रप्रतिमप्र भाव । मयापि चोक्तं तव शास्त्रदृष्ट्या यथैव बुद्ध्वा प्रचरस्व राजन्,महेन्द्रके समान प्रभावशाली नरेश! पूर्वकालमें राज्य-संचालनकी विधिको जाननेवाले सत्पुरुषोंने यह बात कही थी। मैंने भी शास्त्रीय दृष्टिके अनुसार तुम्हें यह बात बतायी है। राजन! इसे अच्छी तरह समझकर इसीके अनुसार चलो
idaṃ hi sadbhiḥ kathitaṃ vidhijñaiḥ purā mahendrapratimaprabhāva | mayāpi coktaṃ tava śāstradṛṣṭyā yathaiva buddhvā pracarasva rājan ||
Wahai raja yang berwibawa setanding Indra, prinsip ini telah diajarkan sejak dahulu oleh para insan mulia yang mengetahui kaedah pemerintahan yang benar. Aku juga telah menyatakannya kepadamu menurut pandangan śāstra. Maka, wahai raja, fahamilah dengan sungguh-sungguh dan bertindaklah tepat menurutnya.
उड्ड उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king should govern by well-established principles of rajadharma: teachings preserved by virtuous, rule-knowing elders and confirmed by śāstric reasoning. The emphasis is on understanding the doctrine thoroughly and then acting accordingly.
Uḍḍa addresses a king, praising him as Indra-like in power, and concludes a piece of counsel: the guidance is not novel but an ancient, authoritative tradition taught by the righteous and aligned with śāstra; the king is urged to comprehend it and implement it in conduct and rule.