Shloka 2
राजधर्मः—प्रजापालनं दानयज्ञश्च
Royal Duty—Protection of Subjects, Generosity, and Sacrificial Discipline
युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--पितामह! राजा जिस वृत्तिसे रहनेपर अपने प्रजाजनोंकी उन्नति करता है और स्वयं भी विशुद्ध लोकोंपर विजय प्राप्त कर लेता है, वह मुझे बताइये ।।
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca—pitāmaha! rājā yāṃ vṛttiṃ samāsthāya prajājanānām unnatiṃ karoti svayaṃ ca viśuddha-lokān jayati, tāṃ me brūhi || bhīṣma uvāca—dānaśīlo bhaved rājā yajñaśīlaś ca bhārata | upavāsa-tapaḥśīlaḥ prajānāṃ pālane rataḥ ||
尤提士提罗问道：“祖父啊，请告诉我：国王以何种生活之道，既能使臣民安乐进益，又能为自身赢得清净高上的诸界？”毗湿摩答道：“噢，婆罗多的后裔啊，国王当乐于布施，勤于祭祀，持守斋戒与苦行之律，并恒常致力于护佑与抚育其民。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s dharma is defined by beneficent governance: generosity (dāna), commitment to sacred duty (yajña), personal discipline through fasting and austerity (upavāsa, tapas), and unwavering dedication to protecting and nurturing the subjects (prajā-pālana). Such conduct brings both public prosperity and the ruler’s own spiritual merit.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue on statecraft and dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira asks Bhīṣma to describe the conduct by which a ruler ensures the people’s uplift and attains higher, pure realms. Bhīṣma answers with a concise list of royal virtues and duties.