Shloka 12
Adhyāya 42 (Śānti Parva): Śrāddha, Aurdhvadaihika Rites, and Royal Welfare Measures
स विजित्य महीं कृत्स्नामानृण्यं प्राप्य वैरिषु । नि:ःसपत्न: सुखी राजा विजहार युधिष्ठिर:
sa vijitya mahīṁ kṛtsnām ānṛṇyaṁ prāpya vairiṣu | niḥsapatnaḥ sukhī rājā vijahāra yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
毗湿摩波耶那说道：征服了整个大地，又向诸敌偿尽所负之责后，尤提施提罗王——今无对手，心境安泰——在和平的欢适中度日。此偈所描绘的战后王权，并非仅是权势，而是清算旧账、复归道德均衡之后方得的境界。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links rightful sovereignty with ethical closure: victory is not complete until one becomes ānṛṇya—free from outstanding obligations and moral debts, even in relation to enemies—so that peace and legitimacy can follow.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Yudhiṣṭhira, after securing dominion over the whole realm and settling what was due in the aftermath of conflict, became unrivaled and lived as a contented king in a period of stability.