Shloka 4
Dāna–Tapaḥ Praśaṃsā and Gṛhastha-Upadeśa
Maitreya
पाहि सर्वा: प्रजा: सम्पक् शुभाशुभविदात्मवान् | शुभे: संविभजन् कामैरशुभानां च पावनै:
vyāsa uvāca | pāhi sarvāḥ prajāḥ samyak śubhāśubha-vid ātmavān | śubhaiḥ saṃvibhajan kāmān aśubhānāṃ ca pāvanaiḥ ||
Vyāsa disse: “Protege corretamente todos os teus súditos. Sê senhor de ti mesmo e perspicaz no discernimento do auspicioso e do inauspicioso. Distribui dignos gozos e recursos por meios justos e, por medidas purificadoras, remove o que é nefasto entre o povo. Assim, com mente e sentidos sob controle, cumpre o teu dever com diligência constante; então, tendo deixado a condição de kṣatriya, alcançarás o estado de brāhmaṇa.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must govern with discernment of good and evil, self-mastery, fair distribution of legitimate enjoyments, and active purification of social harms; steadfast performance of one’s duty leads to inner refinement and higher spiritual attainment.
Vyāsa is instructing a Kṣatriya ruler on rājadharma: protect and nurture the people properly, restrain mind and senses, promote auspicious welfare, remove inauspicious faults through purifying measures, and through sustained dharmic conduct become fit for the higher, Brāhmaṇa-like spiritual state.