Shloka 2
Kṣātra-dharma in Campaign and Battle: Protection, Purification, and the Ideal Warrior’s End (क्षात्रधर्मः—अभियानयुद्धे रक्षणदानशुद्धिः)
अथ सम कर्मणा केन लोकान् जयति पार्थिव: । विद्वन् जिज्ञासमानाय प्रब्रूहि भरतर्षभ,विद्वन! भरतश्रेष्ठल अब मैं यह जानना चाहता हूँ कि राजाको किस कर्मसे पुण्यलोकोंकी प्राप्ति होती है; अतः यही मुझे बताइये
atha samakarmaṇā kena lokān jayati pārthivaḥ | vidvan jijñāsamānāya prabrūhi bharatarṣabha ||
Yudhiṣṭhira thưa: “Vậy thì, bằng hành nghiệp nào—ngay thẳng và công bình—một vị vua giành được các cõi công đức? Bậc trí giả, vì con muốn biết, xin hãy nói rõ, hỡi bậc kiệt xuất trong dòng Bharata.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a key Rajadharma inquiry: a ruler’s attainment of meritorious realms depends not on power alone but on ‘sama-karma’—impartial, fair, and ethically grounded governance.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma after the war, Yudhiṣṭhira respectfully questions a learned authority, asking which specific form of righteous conduct enables a king to attain higher worlds.