Shloka 74
Adhyāya 199: Karma–Jñāna Causality and the Nirguṇa Brahman
Manu’s Instruction
राजोवाच योद्धव्यं रक्षितव्यं च क्षत्रधर्म: किल द्विज । दातार: क्षत्रिया: प्रोक्ता गृहल्लीयां भवतः कथम्
rājovāca yoddhavyaṃ rakṣitavyaṃ ca kṣatradharmaḥ kila dvija | dātāraḥ kṣatriyāḥ proktā gṛhallīyāṃ bhavataḥ katham ||
राजोवाच योद्धव्यं रक्षितव्यं च क्षत्रधर्मः किल द्विज । दातारः क्षत्रियाः प्रोक्ता गृहल्लीयां भवतः कथम् ॥
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames kṣatriya-dharma as a triad: to fight when required, to protect people and order, and to practice generosity. It challenges the idea of retreating into private life when one’s social role demands public responsibility.
A king addresses a twice-born interlocutor and argues from traditional duty: since kṣatriyas are obligated to battle, protect, and give, the king questions how a stance of domestic withdrawal or seclusion could be justified in this context.