Shloka 383
Draupadī’s Exhortation on Rājadharma and Daṇḍa (द्रौपद्याः राजधर्मोपदेशः)
सपर्वतवनद्दीपां मा राजन् विमना भव | नरेश्वर! धर्मपूर्वक प्रजाका पालन करते हुए पर्वत, वन और द्वीपोंसहित पृथ्वी देवीका शासन कीजिये। इस उदासीन न होइये
sa-parvata-vana-dvīpāṃ mā rājan vimanā bhava | nareśvara dharma-pūrvakaṃ prajāḥ pālayan parvata-vana-dvīpa-sahitāṃ pṛthivīṃ devīṃ śāsaya; anudāsīno mā bhūḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: “Tâu Đại vương, xin chớ buồn nản. Ôi chúa tể loài người, sau khi che chở thần dân theo đúng dharma, hãy trị vì Đất Mẹ—nữ thần Địa—cùng núi non, rừng thẳm và các hải đảo. Xin đừng trở nên thờ ơ với bổn phận vương giả.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king must not succumb to despair or indifference; he should uphold rajadharma by protecting the people and governing the earth righteously, treating rule as a moral responsibility rather than a personal burden.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on kingship, Vaiśampāyana narrates counsel addressed to the king, urging him to resume active, dharma-based governance—protecting subjects and administering the realm (symbolized as Earth with her natural domains).