Shloka 3
Gārhasthya-Śreṣṭhatā and Kṣatriya-Daṇḍadhāraṇa
Householder Primacy and the Royal Duty of Punishment
स्वधर्म चर धर्मज्ञ यथाशास्त्रं यथाविधि । न हि गार्हस्थ्यमुत्सृज्य तवारण्यं विधीयते
svadharma cara dharmajña yathāśāstraṃ yathāvidhi | na hi gārhasthyam utsṛjya tavāraṇyaṃ vidhīyate, dharmajña yudhiṣṭhira ||
毗耶娑说道：“知法者啊，当依经典（śāstra）所示、依正当仪轨，践行你自己的本分（svadharma）。对你——通晓法的由提湿提罗——并无戒令要你舍弃家住之位而入林修行。”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should follow one’s svadharma as laid down by śāstra and proper procedure; renunciation (forest-life) is not automatically the right path—especially for a ruler whose obligations lie in sustaining social order through responsible householdership and governance.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Vyāsa counsels Yudhiṣṭhira, who is burdened by moral anguish, not to abandon his worldly station for the forest but to fulfill his prescribed duties in accordance with scriptural guidance.