Shloka 2
Kṣātra-dharma in Campaign and Battle: Protection, Purification, and the Ideal Warrior’s End (क्षात्रधर्मः—अभियानयुद्धे रक्षणदानशुद्धिः)
अथ सम कर्मणा केन लोकान् जयति पार्थिव: । विद्वन् जिज्ञासमानाय प्रब्रूहि भरतर्षभ,विद्वन! भरतश्रेष्ठल अब मैं यह जानना चाहता हूँ कि राजाको किस कर्मसे पुण्यलोकोंकी प्राप्ति होती है; अतः यही मुझे बताइये
atha samakarmaṇā kena lokān jayati pārthivaḥ | vidvan jijñāsamānāya prabrūhi bharatarṣabha ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Lalu, dengan perbuatan apakah—yang benar dan saksama—seorang raja meraih alam-alam pahala? Wahai orang bijaksana, kerana aku ingin mengetahui, jelaskanlah kepadaku dengan terang, wahai permata kaum Bharata.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a key Rajadharma inquiry: a ruler’s attainment of meritorious realms depends not on power alone but on ‘sama-karma’—impartial, fair, and ethically grounded governance.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma after the war, Yudhiṣṭhira respectfully questions a learned authority, asking which specific form of righteous conduct enables a king to attain higher worlds.