Shloka 25
राजधर्मः—प्रमादवर्जनं, दण्डनीतिः, दुर्बलरक्षणम्
Royal Dharma: Vigilance, Just Punishment, Protection of the Vulnerable
यदा युक््त्या नयेदर्थान् कामादर्थवशेन वा । कृपणं याचमानानां तद् राज्ञो वैशसं महत्
yadā yuktyā nayed arthān kāmād arthavaśena vā | kṛpaṇaṃ yācamānānāṃ tad rājño vaiśasaṃ mahat ||
乌塔提耶说道：当国王以某种权谋夺取财物——或为私欲所驱，或为贪利所使——从那些困苦卑微、在灾厄中哀求的臣民手中掠走时，此举便成了沉重的残酷之罪，也是君主大败亡的凶兆。从伦理上说，这谴责国家权力对弱者转为掠夺者，并警示此等剥削将摧毁王权的正当性，招致覆亡。
उतथ्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must not use clever pretexts or administrative power to seize wealth from distressed, pleading subjects; such predatory governance is a grave adharma that signals the king’s impending ruin.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, the sage Utathya warns about a specific royal vice: rejecting the desperate petitions of the poor and instead contriving to appropriate their wealth, which he labels a great cruelty and an omen of downfall.