Shloka 5
राजधर्मप्रश्नः — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry into Rājadharma (Śānti-parva 56)
यथा हि रश्मयो<श्वस्य द्विरदस्याड्कुशो यथा । नरेन्द्रधर्मो लोकस्य तथा प्रग्रहणं स्मृतम्
yathā hi raśmayo 'śvasya dviradasyāṅkuśo yathā | narendradharmo lokasya tathā pragrahaṇaṁ smṛtam ||
Kung paanong ang renda ang pumipigil sa kabayo at ang pangtulak ang kumokontrol sa elepante, gayon din ang rāja-dharma ay inaalala bilang renda ng daigdig—may kakayahang panatilihin ang lipunan sa wastong hangganan at pigilan itong sumadsad sa kaguluhan.
युधिषछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Royal duty (rājadharma) functions as society’s regulating force: like reins and a goad, it restrains excess, maintains boundaries, and keeps the world aligned with order and propriety.
In Śānti Parva’s discourse on governance and ethics after the war, Yudhiṣṭhira speaks about the necessity of rājadharma, using the metaphor of controlling powerful animals to explain how kingship preserves social stability.