Shloka 4
Śānti Parva 116: Criteria for Royal Servants and Administrative Competence (भृत्य-गुण-प्रश्नः / राजसेवक-लक्षणम्)
पुत्रपौत्राभिरामं च राष्ट्रवृद्धिकरं च यत् । अन्नपाने शरीरे च हित यत्तद् ब्रवीहि मे
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | putrapautrābhirāmaṃ ca rāṣṭravṛddhikaraṃ ca yat | annapāne śarīre ca hitaṃ yattad bravīhi me ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Katakanlah kepadaku jalan tindakan yang menyenangkan dan bermanfaat bagi anak dan cucu, yang menumbuhkan kemajuan serta kemakmuran kerajaan, dan yang juga menyehatkan bagi makanan, minuman, dan tubuh.”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the king’s duty as seeking a policy that simultaneously sustains family continuity (sons and grandsons), strengthens the kingdom’s prosperity, and safeguards basic necessities—food, drink, and bodily well-being—thus linking dharma with practical welfare.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma after the war, Yudhiṣṭhira asks for guidance on what measures are truly beneficial—those that bring prosperity to the realm and well-being to people across generations, including their nourishment and health.