राजा कृतयुगस्रष्टा त्रेताया द्वापरस्य च ॥
युगस्य च चतुर्थस्य राजा भवति कारणम् ॥
कृतस्य कारणाद् राजा स्वर्गम् अत्यन्तम् अश्नुते ॥
त्रेतायाः कारणाद् राजा स्वर्गं नात्यन्तम् अश्नुते ॥
प्रवर्तनाद् द्वापरस्य यथाभागम् उपाश्नुते ॥
ततो वसति दुष्कर्मा नरके शाश्वतीः समाः ॥
राजदोषेण हि जगत् स्पृश्यते जगतः स च ॥
राजधर्मान् अवेक्षस्व पितृपैतामहोचितान् ॥
नैतद् राजर्षिवृत्तं हि यत्र त्वं स्थातुम् इच्छसि ॥
न हि वैक्लव्यसंसृष्ट आनृशंस्ये व्यवस्थितः ॥
प्रजापालनसंभूतं किं चित् प्राप फलं नृपः ॥
rājā kṛtayugasraṣṭā tretāyā dvāparasya ca ||
yugasya ca caturthasya rājā bhavati kāraṇam ||
kṛtasya kāraṇād rājā svargam atyantam aśnute ||
tretāyāḥ kāraṇād rājā svargaṃ nātyantam aśnute ||
pravartanād dvāparasya yathābhāgam upāśnute ||
tato vasati duṣkarmā narake śāśvatīḥ samāḥ ||
rājadoṣeṇa hi jagat spṛśyate jagataḥ sa ca ||
rājadharmān avekṣasva pitṛpaitāmahocitān ||
naitad rājarṣivṛttaṃ hi yatra tvaṃ sthātum icchasi ||
na hi vaiklavyasaṃsṛṣṭa ānṛśaṃsye vyavasthitaḥ ||
prajāpālanasaṃbhūtaṃ kiṃ cit prāpa phalaṃ nṛpaḥ ||
"The king creates the Krita Yuga, the Treta Yuga, the Dvapara Yuga, and becomes the cause of the fourth age as well. By causing Krita Yuga, the king enjoys heaven in full; by causing Treta Yuga, he enjoys heaven not in full; by setting Dvapara in motion, he obtains a share proportionate to it. Then the evildoing king dwells in hell for everlasting years, for through the king's fault the world is afflicted, and the king is bound to the world. Consider the royal duties befitting your fathers and grandfathers: the position in which you wish to stand is not the path of the royal sages. A king mixed with weakness and settled only in gentleness obtains no fruit at all from the protection of his subjects."
cf1e1cb250d1 · published Jul 17, 2026, 5:51:08 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Kunti binds the fate of the world to the quality of the king. Weakness passed off as compassion bears no fruit of protection: when a ruler fails his duty, the subjects, the ancestors, and the very order of time all suffer.