Shloka 21

उतथ्योपदेशः—राजधर्मः, दर्पनिग्रहः, प्रजारक्षणम्

Utathya’s Instruction: Royal Dharma, Restraint of Pride, Protection of Subjects

Devanagari script

कामक्रोधावनादृत्य धर्ममेवानुपालय । धर्म: श्रेयस्करतमो राज्ञां भरतसत्तम,भरतभूषण! तुम भी काम और क्रोधकी अवहेलना करके निरन्तर धर्मका ही पालन करो। धर्म ही राजाओंके लिये सबसे बढ़कर कल्याण करनेवाला है

Transliteration

kāmakrodhāv anādṛtya dharmam evānupālaya | dharmaḥ śreyaskaratamo rājñāṃ bharatasattama bharatabhūṣaṇa ||

Translation

Utathya berkata: “Ketepikan nafsu dan amarah, tegakkanlah dharma semata-mata tanpa goyah. Bagi para raja, wahai yang terbaik antara keturunan Bharata—perhiasan garis Bharata—dharma ialah sumber kebajikan sejati dan kebaikan yang berkekalan paling tinggi.”

Word by Word

कामक्रोधौdesire and anger

अनादृत्यhaving disregarded

धर्मम्dharma, righteousness

एवindeed, only

अनुपालयfollow, observe, protect

धर्मःdharma

श्रेयस्करतमःmost beneficial

राज्ञाम्of kings

भरतसत्तमO best of the Bharatas

भरतभूषणO ornament of the Bharatas

Speaker

उतथ्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

Utathya

Bharata lineage (Bharatas)

king/ruler (addressed person)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler should consciously set aside desire (kāma) and anger (krodha) and steadfastly uphold dharma, because dharma is presented as the supreme source of a king’s true welfare and the people’s well-being.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instruction on governance and conduct, the sage Utathya addresses a Bharata king with honorific epithets and gives direct counsel: ignore the impulses of passion and wrath and rule by dharma, which is declared the highest good for kings.