Shloka 30
Vāmadeva’s Rājadharma: Norm-Setting, Counsel, and the Prevention of Rāṣṭra-Vināśa (वामदेव-प्रोक्तं राजधर्मम्)
अग्राम्यचरितां वृत्ति यो न सेवेत नित्यदा | जितानामजितानां च क्षत्रधर्मादपैति सः
agrāmyacaritāṁ vṛttiṁ yo na seveta nityadā | jitānām ajitānāṁ ca kṣatradharmād apaiti saḥ ||
瓦摩提婆说道：凡不恒常奉行文雅而不鄙俗之行——为有教养者所实践——又无论对败者或胜者，都使其背离既定的行为法则者，便离弃刹帝利之法（kṣatriya-dharma）。就伦理而言，刹帝利之责并非仅凭权势维系，而在于自律之行与护持正当规范，即便面对敌手亦然。
वामदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
A kṣatriya’s dharma depends on disciplined, cultured conduct and on maintaining rightful norms in society; abandoning refined behavior and disrupting established codes—whether for the defeated or the undefeated—constitutes a fall from kṣatriya-duty.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, the sage Vāmadeva lays down a criterion for true kṣatriya conduct: constant adherence to dignified behavior and the upholding of proper customary discipline for all parties, not only for one’s own side.