Shloka 6
राजधर्मः—प्रमादवर्जनं, दण्डनीतिः, दुर्बलरक्षणम्
Royal Dharma: Vigilance, Just Punishment, Protection of the Vulnerable
कृतं त्रेता द्वापरं च कलिश्न भरतर्षभ । राजवृत्तानि सर्वाणि राजैव युगमुच्यते,भरतश्रेष्ठ! सत्ययुग, त्रेता, द्वापर और कलियुग--ये सब-के-सब राजाके आचरणोंमें स्थित हैं। राजा ही युगोंका प्रवर्तक होनेके कारण युग कहलाता है
kṛtaṃ tretā dvāparaṃ ca kaliś ca bharatarṣabha | rājavṛttāni sarvāṇi rājā eva yugam ucyate, bharataśreṣṭha ||
Wika ni Utathya: “O pinakamatatag sa mga Bharata, ang mga panahon—Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara, at Kali—ay pawang nakasalig sa asal ng hari. Tunay, ang hari ang tinatawag na ‘panahon’, sapagkat sa kanyang pamamahala at sariling disiplina, itinatakda niya ang anyo at landas ng kapanahunan.”
उतथ्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The moral quality of an age is not merely cosmic fate; it is concretely produced by the king’s conduct. When the ruler embodies dharma, society experiences a ‘Kṛta-like’ condition; when the ruler is unrighteous, society slides toward ‘Kali-like’ disorder. Thus political leadership is presented as a primary driver of collective ethics.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, the sage Utathya addresses a Bharata prince/kingly listener, explaining that the four yugas are reflected in and effectively instituted by the behavior and policies of the reigning king.