Shloka 45
विराट उवाच बहुश: प्रतिषिद्धोडसि न च वाचं नियच्छसि । नियन्ता चेन्न विद्येत न कश्चिद् धर्ममाचरेत्
virāṭa uvāca | bahuśaḥ pratiṣiddho 'si na ca vācaṃ niyacchasi | niyantā cen na vidyeta na kaścid dharmam ācaret |
Wika ni Virāṭa: “Kanka! Maraming ulit na kitang pinagbawalan, ngunit hindi mo pa rin pinipigil ang iyong pananalita. Tunay nga, kung walang pinunong magpapatupad ng kaayusan, walang sinuman ang makapagsasagawa ng dharma.”
विराट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links dharma to effective restraint and governance: without a legitimate enforcer of order (niyantā, the king), social discipline collapses and people cease to practice righteous conduct. It underscores the ethical function of kingship as protection and regulation, not merely power.
King Virāṭa rebukes Kaṅka for speaking despite repeated prohibitions. In the course of scolding him, Virāṭa generalizes the point into a political-ethical claim: rule and restraint are necessary conditions for dharma to be observed in society.