Shloka 16
Śaṅkha–Likhita Upākhyāna: Daṇḍa, Confession, and the Purification of Kingship (शङ्ख-लिखितोपाख्यानम्)
“महातेजस्वी युधिष्ठिर! दैवका मारा हुआ राजा कार्य करनेके समय जिस कार्यको नहीं सिद्ध कर पाता, उसमें उसका कोई दोष या अपराध नहीं बताया जाता है ।।
mahātejasvī yudhiṣṭhira! daivakā mārā-huā rājā kārya-karaṇe samaye yasmin kārye na siddhiṃ prāpnoti, tasmin tasya na kaścid doṣo nāparādho 'bhidhīyate. tarasā buddhipūrvam vā nigrāhyā eva śatravaḥ; pāpaiḥ saha na sandadhyād, rājyaṃ paṇyaṃ na kārayet.
毗舍波耶那说道：“噢，威光赫赫的由提施提罗！若国王为天命所困，于行事之时不能竟其功，则不以此失归罪于他。然而，敌人必须加以钳制——或迅疾果断，或以深思熟虑之智。不可与恶人结盟，亦不可将王国视作可交易、可讨价还价之货物。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse balances compassion and accountability: failures caused by destiny are not treated as moral guilt, yet a ruler must still act decisively and intelligently—restraining enemies, avoiding alliances with the wicked, and never reducing sovereignty to something to be bought and sold.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Vaiśampāyana addresses Yudhiṣṭhira, summarizing principles of governance: how to judge failure under the pressure of fate, how to handle hostile forces, and what kinds of political compromises are ethically unacceptable.