Shloka 21
Śaṅkha–Likhita Upākhyāna: Daṇḍa, Confession, and the Purification of Kingship (शङ्ख-लिखितोपाख्यानम्)
सुमन्त्रिते सुनीते च सर्वतश्नोपपादिते । पौरुषे कर्मणि कृते नास्त्यधर्मो युधिष्ठिर
sumantrite sunīte ca sarvataś copapādite | pauruṣe karmaṇi kṛte nāsty adharmo yudhiṣṭhira ||
毗湿摩波罗衍那说道：“尤狄湿提罗啊，若谋议已深思熟虑，政略已正当施行，并且四方皆尽人力之所能而努力，则——纵使百姓遭逢些许困厄——不义（adharma）亦不归于王。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler is morally accountable for negligence and wrongful intent, but not for unavoidable suffering that occurs despite thorough deliberation, sound policy, and complete, sincere effort. Proper process—good counsel (mantra), right policy (nīti), and full exertion (pauruṣa)—protects the king from the charge of adharma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on kingship and dharma, Vaiśampāyana addresses Yudhiṣṭhira, explaining a principle of royal responsibility: when governance has been conducted with careful counsel and proper measures, incidental distress among the people does not automatically make the king blameworthy.