Shloka 2
आपत्सु च यथा नीति: प्रणेतव्या द्विजोत्तम | धर्म्यमालक्ष्य पन्थानं विजयेयं कथं महीम्,द्विजश्रेष्ठल आपत्तिकालमें मुझे कैसी नीतिसे काम लेना चाहिये? धर्मके अनुकूल मार्गपर दृष्टि रखते हुए मैं किस प्रकार इस पृथ्वीपर विजय पा सकता हूँ?
āpatsu ca yathā nītiḥ praṇetavyā dvijottama | dharmyam ālakṣya panthānaṃ vijayeyam kathaṃ mahīm ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Ó melhor entre os duas-vezes-nascidos, quando a calamidade se abate, como devem ser conduzidas a política e a conduta? Mantendo em vista um caminho conforme ao dharma, por quais meios posso conquistar a soberania sobre esta terra?”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a central problem of rājadharma: even in emergencies, a ruler must shape policy with dharma as the guiding criterion, seeking success and sovereignty through ethically legitimate means rather than abandoning righteousness for expediency.
In Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira, burdened by the aftermath of war and the responsibilities of rule, questions a Brahmin authority about how to act during crises and how to secure rule over the earth while remaining aligned with dharma.