Shloka 4
राजधर्मः—प्रमादवर्जनं, दण्डनीतिः, दुर्बलरक्षणम्
Royal Dharma: Vigilance, Just Punishment, Protection of the Vulnerable
कर्म शूद्रे कृषिवैंश्ये दण्डनीतिश्न राजनि । ब्रह्मचर्य तपो मन्त्रा: सत्यं चापि द्विजातिषु
karma śūdre kṛṣi-vaiśye daṇḍanītiś ca rājani | brahmacaryaṁ tapo mantrāḥ satyaṁ cāpi dvijātiṣu ||
乌塔提耶说道：“首陀罗之正业在于劳作与服侍；吠舍之正业在于农耕及其相应生计；国王——刹帝利——之正业在于治国之纪律与依法依达摩施行惩罚；而对‘再生者’（二生族）而言，梵行、苦行、吠陀真言与真实为其首要。由是，各阶序以其本分而立，维系社会之道德秩序。”
उतथ्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse outlines varṇa-based dharma: each social order is sustained by its characteristic duties—service/work for Śūdra, agriculture for Vaiśya, lawful governance and punishment for the king/Kṣatriya, and for the twice-born the primacy of disciplined conduct, austerity, Vedic study/recitation, and truthfulness.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and social stability, the sage Utathya speaks as a teacher, summarizing how different roles in society are meant to function ethically so that order (dharma) is maintained after the devastation of war.