Shloka 17
राजवृत्त-रक्षा-प्रणिधि-षाड्गुण्योपदेशः
Royal Conduct, Protection, Intelligence, and Policy Measures
पतेद् बहुविध॑ शस्त्र बहुधा धर्मचारिषु । अधर्म: प्रगृूहीत: स्थाद् यदि राजा न पालयेत्
pated bahuvidhaṁ śastraṁ bahudhā dharmacāriṣu | adharmaḥ pragṛhītaḥ syād yadi rājā na pālayet ||
瓦苏摩那说道：“若国王不护佑、不治理，那么在那些力行达摩之人身上，各种兵刃将一再落下——暴力会反复击打他们——人们因无可奈何，便被迫走上非达摩之路。”
वसुमना उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the king’s primary duty is protection and just governance; when this duty fails, even the righteous suffer violence and society is pushed toward adharma out of necessity.
In the Shanti Parva’s discussion on rajadharma, Vasumanā argues that neglect by the ruler creates insecurity: weapons and harm fall upon dharma-abiding people, and the breakdown of protection compels people to adopt unrighteous means to survive.