Shloka 39

Devanagari script

अरक्षितात्मा यो राजा प्रजाश्चापि न रक्षति | प्रजाश्न॒ तस्य क्षीयन्ते ततः सो5नुविनश्यति,जो राजा अपनी रक्षा नहीं करता, वह प्रजाकी भी रक्षा नहीं कर सकता। पहले उसकी प्रजाएँ क्षीण होती हैं; फिर वह स्वयं भी नष्ट हो जाता है

Transliteration

arakṣitātmā yo rājā prajāś cāpi na rakṣati | prajāś ca tasya kṣīyante tataḥ so 'nuvinaśyati ||

Translation

Disse Utathya: Um rei que não resguarda a própria disciplina e vigilância não pode, de fato, proteger seus súditos. Primeiro seu povo declina e se consome; depois ele mesmo encontra a ruína.

Word by Word

अरक्षितात्माone whose self is unprotected (careless of himself)

यःwho

राजाking

प्रजाःsubjects, people

चand

अपिalso, even

नnot

रक्षतिprotects

प्रजाःthe subjects

तस्यof him, his

क्षीयन्तेwaste away, decline

ततःthen, thereafter

सःhe

अनुविनश्यतिperishes thereafter, is ruined

Speaker

उतथ्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

Utathya

rājā (the king)

prajāḥ (subjects)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Royal protection of the people depends on the ruler’s prior protection of his own self—discipline, vigilance, and moral restraint. If the king is unguarded, the subjects decline first, and the king’s ruin follows as a consequence.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, the sage Utathya delivers a warning about governance: a negligent, self-unrestrained king cannot fulfill the duty of protecting his realm, leading to the deterioration of the populace and ultimately the king’s downfall.