Shloka 19
Śaṅkha–Likhita Upākhyāna: Daṇḍa, Confession, and the Purification of Kingship (शङ्ख-लिखितोपाख्यानम्)
अरक्षिता दुर्विनीतो मानी स्तब्धो5भ्यसूयक: । एनसा युज्यते राजा दुर्दान्त इति चोच्यते
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
arakṣitā durvinīto mānī stabdho 'bhyasūyakaḥ |
enasā yujyate rājā durdānta iti cocyate ||
毗湿摩波罗衍那说道：“不护佑臣民之王——无纪律、骄矜自负、以傲慢自持而僵硬，并好挑人过失者——必与罪业相系；故众人称之为‘杜尔丹塔’（durdānta），即桀骜难驭、不可治理之君。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s primary dharma is protection of the people; when a king neglects this duty and is ruled by pride, arrogance, and fault-finding, he accrues sin and is judged ‘durdānta’—unrestrained and unfit to govern.
Within the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Vaiśampāyana reports a normative statement defining the marks of a bad king: failure to protect subjects combined with moral vices, leading to social condemnation and spiritual demerit.