Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 126
शाधि राज्यं च खल्वेतन्नान्यथा मे वचः कुरु । प्रजास्त्वं रक्ष धर्मेण नोत्तरं वक्तुमर्हसि
śādhi rājyaṃ ca khalvetannānyathā me vacaḥ kuru | prajāstvaṃ rakṣa dharmeṇa nottaraṃ vaktumarhasi
اس سلطنت پر یقیناً حکومت کرو؛ میرے حکم کے خلاف ہرگز نہ کرنا۔ دھرم کے مطابق رعایا کی حفاظت کرو؛ مزید اعتراض کرنے کے لائق نہیں ہو۔
Rāma
Tirtha: Ayodhyā
Type: kshetra
Scene: Rāma, composed and authoritative, instructs a successor/attendant in the courtly setting of Ayodhyā: ‘Rule and protect the people by dharma.’ Courtiers and vānaras stand respectfully; the mood is solemn, kingly, and directive.
FAQs
Authority must be exercised as dharma: the king’s legitimacy rests on protecting people righteously.
Ayodhyā’s dharmic ideal radiates outward—its king sets standards even for distant Laṅkā.
None; it is a governance prescription: prajā-rakṣaṇa through dharma.