Shloka 19
Śaṅkha–Likhita Upākhyāna: Daṇḍa, Confession, and the Purification of Kingship (शङ्ख-लिखितोपाख्यानम्)
अरक्षिता दुर्विनीतो मानी स्तब्धो5भ्यसूयक: । एनसा युज्यते राजा दुर्दान्त इति चोच्यते,“जो राजा प्रजाकी रक्षा नहीं करता, जो उद्ण्ड, मानी, अकड़ रखनेवाला और दूसरोंके दोष देखनेवाला है, वह पापसे संयुक्त होता है और लोग उसे दुर्दान्त कहते हैं
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
arakṣitā durvinīto mānī stabdho 'bhyasūyakaḥ |
enasā yujyate rājā durdānta iti cocyate ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Seorang raja yang tidak melindungi rakyatnya—yang tidak berdisiplin, angkuh, kaku kerana kesombongan, dan gemar mencari-cari kesalahan orang—akan terikat dengan dosa; maka orang pun memanggilnya ‘durdānta’, yakni yang liar dan sukar ditundukkan.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s primary dharma is protection of the people; when a king neglects this duty and is ruled by pride, arrogance, and fault-finding, he accrues sin and is judged ‘durdānta’—unrestrained and unfit to govern.
Within the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Vaiśampāyana reports a normative statement defining the marks of a bad king: failure to protect subjects combined with moral vices, leading to social condemnation and spiritual demerit.