Shloka 20
राजवृत्त-रक्षा-प्रणिधि-षाड्गुण्योपदेशः
Royal Conduct, Protection, Intelligence, and Policy Measures
अन्ताश्चलाकाल एव स्युर्लोको<यं दस्युसाद् भवेत् । पतेयुर्नरकं घोरं यदि राजा न पालयेत्
antāś calākāla eva syur loko ’yaṃ dasyusād bhavet | pateyur narakaṃ ghoraṃ yadi rājā na pālayet ||
瓦苏玛那说道：“那时非时之死与饥馑将盛行；此世将落入盗匪之手。若国王不护佑臣民，人们——因罪业与无法无天的蔓延——将坠入可怖的地狱。”
वसुमना उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches rājadharma: a ruler’s foremost duty is to protect and maintain order. Without royal protection, society collapses into famine, insecurity, and moral ruin, bringing grave consequences.
In the Śānti Parva’s discourse on kingship and ethics, Vasumanā argues that if the king fails to safeguard the people, the world becomes dominated by bandits, calamities spread, and people fall into severe suffering due to unchecked wrongdoing.