Shloka 6
Cāturāśramya-dharma—Marks of the Four Āśramas (चातुराश्रम्यधर्मः)
सर्वोद्योगैराश्रमं धर्ममाहु: क्षात्रं श्रेष्ठ सर्वधर्मोपपन्नम् । स्व॑ स्व॑ धर्म येन चरन्ति वर्णा- स्तांस्तान् धमनन्यथार्थान् वदन्ति
sarvodyogair āśramaṃ dharmam āhuḥ kṣātraṃ śreṣṭhaṃ sarvadharmopapannam | svaṃ svaṃ dharmaṃ yena caranti varṇās tāṃs tān dharmān anyathārthān vadanti ||
Wika ni Indra: “Sa bawat uri ng patuloy na pagsisikap, ipinahahayag ng mga tao na ang kṣātra—ang kapangyarihang panghari na isinasagawa bilang dharma—ang pinakapanguna, ganap sa lahat ng kailangan ng katuwiran. Sa tulong ng kṣātra-dharma nagagawa ng iba’t ibang kaayusang panlipunan na tuparin ang kani-kanilang tungkulin. Kaya sinasabi nila na kung wala ang kṣātra-dharma, ang mga tungkuling iyon ay mawawalan ng wastong layon at babaling na salungat sa kanilang tunay na hangarin.”
इन्द्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that righteous kingship (kṣātra-dharma) is foundational for society: it enables each varṇa to perform its own duties safely and meaningfully; without it, other dharmas become ineffective or even counterproductive.
Indra is explaining a principle of rajadharma within the Śānti Parva discourse: he argues for the primacy of the kṣātra function—protection, enforcement of order, and governance—as the support-system that allows all other life-duties and social obligations to operate.