Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 100, Shloka 28
शततमः सर्गः — Rāma Questions Bharata on Rājadharma
Governance, Counsel, and Public Welfare
कच्चित्त्वां नावजानन्ति याजकाः पतितं यथा।उग्रप्रतिग्रहीतारं कामयानमिव स्त्रियः।।।।
kaccit tvāṁ nāvajānanti yājakāḥ patitaṁ yathā |
ugra-pratigrahītāraṁ kāmayānam iva striyaḥ ||
祭祀的婆罗门祭司们是否不轻视你——不把你当作堕落之人——因你苛取或不当受取；女子们也是否不鄙弃你，如同鄙弃纵欲之徒？
A learned person but skilled in contrivances, a warrior with passion for wealth and a man ever engaged in corrupting the minds of servants must be slain. A king who does not kill them is himself killed in due course.
FAQs
Dharma in rulership includes restraint in revenue and conduct: a king must not become infamous for wrongful taking (adharma in collection) or for uncontrolled desire; social trust is a moral asset.
Rāma continues his examination of Bharata’s kingship, asking whether respected social groups hold him in esteem and whether his conduct is beyond reproach.
Bharata is implicitly urged toward integrity (śīla) and moderation—so that the righteous (priests) and society at large do not lose respect.