Shloka 12
उतथ्योपदेशः—राजधर्मः, दर्पनिग्रहः, प्रजारक्षणम्
Utathya’s Instruction: Royal Dharma, Restraint of Pride, Protection of Subjects
न वेदानधिगच्छन्ति व्रतवन्तो द्विजातय: । न यज्ञांस्तन्वते विप्रा यदा पापो न वार्यते,जब पापका निवारण नहीं किया जाता है, तब ब्रह्मचर्यव्रतका पालन करनेवाले द्विज वेदोंका अध्ययन छोड़ देते हैं और ब्राह्मण यज्ञोंका अनुष्ठान नहीं कर पाते हैं
na vedān adhigacchanti vratavanto dvijātayaḥ | na yajñāṁs tanvate viprā yadā pāpo na vāryate ||
Disse Utathya: Quando o mal não é vigiado nem contido, até os duas-vezes-nascidos, firmes em seus votos, abandonam o estudo dos Vedas, e os brâmanes não conseguem realizar os sacrifícios (yajña). O verso adverte que tolerar o pecado corrói os alicerces do aprendizado e do rito, e assim mina o dharma na sociedade.
उतथ्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
If wrongdoing is allowed to continue unchecked, it destroys the conditions necessary for dharma: students lose the will or safety to pursue Vedic learning, and priests cannot sustain sacrificial practice. Restraining pāpa is presented as a prerequisite for preserving religious and ethical life.
Utathya is instructing about the consequences of failing to curb sin in society. He frames moral enforcement as essential to maintaining the institutions of Vedic study and yajña, implying that societal leadership must prevent wrongdoing to protect dharma.