Shloka 24
Vāmadeva’s Rājadharma: Norm-Setting, Counsel, and the Prevention of Rāṣṭra-Vināśa (वामदेव-प्रोक्तं राजधर्मम्)
रक्षाधिकरणं युद्ध तथा धर्मानुशासनम् । मन्त्रचिन्ता सुखं काले पञ्चभिर्वर्धते मही,रक्षाके स्थान दुर्ग आदि, युद्ध, धर्मके अनुसार राज्यका शासन, मन्त्र-चिन्तन तथा यथासमय सबको सुख प्रदान करना--इन पाँचोंके द्वारा राज्यकी वृद्धि होती है
rakṣādhikaraṇaṃ yuddhaṃ tathā dharmānuśāsanam | mantracintā sukhaṃ kāle pañcabhir vardhate mahī ||
Vāmadeva berkata: “Sesebuah kerajaan makmur melalui lima tonggak: sistem perlindungan dan keselamatan yang teratur, kesiapsiagaan untuk perang, pemerintahan menurut dharma, pertimbangan yang cermat terhadap nasihat dan dasar, serta pemberian kebajikan dan ketenteraman kepada rakyat pada waktunya. Dengan lima inilah, negeri bertambah kuat dan teguh.”
वामदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s realm flourishes when five pillars are maintained together: internal security, military capability, dharma-guided administration, prudent counsel and strategic deliberation, and timely public welfare. Prosperity is presented as an ethical and administrative achievement, not merely economic gain.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, the sage Vāmadeva speaks as a teacher of statecraft, summarizing the essential functions by which a king sustains and expands the kingdom.