वैशंपायन उवाच
स एवं शंतनुर् धीमान् देवराजर्षिसत्कृतः ॥
धर्मात्मा सर्वलोकेषु सत्यवाग् इति विश्रुतः ॥
दमो दानं क्षमा बुद्धिर् ह्रीर् धृतिस् तेज उत्तमम् ॥
नित्यान्य् आसन् महासत्त्वे शंतनौ पुरुषर्षभे ॥
एवं स गुणसंपन्नो धर्मार्थकुशलो नृपः ॥
आसीद् भरतवंशस्य गोप्ता साधुजनस्य च ॥
कम्बुग्रीवः पृथुव्यंसो मत्तवारणविक्रमः ॥
धर्म एव परः कामाद् अर्थाच् चेति व्यवस्थितः ॥
एतान्य् आसन् महासत्त्वे शंतनौ भरतर्षभ ॥
न चास्य सदृशः कश् चित् क्षत्रियो धर्मतो ऽभवत् ॥
वर्तमानं हि धर्मे स्वे सर्वधर्मविदां वरम् ॥
तं महीपा महीपालं राजराज्ये ऽभ्यषेचयन् ॥
वीतशोकभयाबाधाः सुखस्वप्नविबोधनाः ॥
प्रति भारतगोप्तारं समपद्यन्त भूमिपाः ॥
शंतनुप्रमुखैर् गुप्ते लोके नृपतिभिस् तदा ॥
नियमात् सर्ववर्णानां ब्रह्मोत्तरम् अवर्तत ॥
ब्रह्म पर्यचरत् क्षत्रं विशः क्षत्रम् अनुव्रताः ॥
ब्रह्मक्षत्रानुरक्ताश् च शूद्राः पर्यचरन् विशः ॥
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
sa evaṃ śaṃtanur dhīmān devarājarṣisatkṛtaḥ ||
dharmātmā sarvalokeṣu satyavāg iti viśrutaḥ ||
damo dānaṃ kṣamā buddhir hrīr dhṛtis teja uttamam ||
nityāny āsan mahāsattve śaṃtanau puruṣarṣabhe ||
evaṃ sa guṇasaṃpanno dharmārthakuśalo nṛpaḥ ||
āsīd bharatavaṃśasya goptā sādhujanasya ca ||
kambugrīvaḥ pṛthuvyaṃso mattavāraṇavikramaḥ ||
dharma eva paraḥ kāmād arthāc ceti vyavasthitaḥ ||
etāny āsan mahāsattve śaṃtanau bharatarṣabha ||
na cāsya sadṛśaḥ kaś cit kṣatriyo dharmato 'bhavat ||
vartamānaṃ hi dharme sve sarvadharmavidāṃ varam ||
taṃ mahīpā mahīpālaṃ rājarājye 'bhyaṣecayan ||
vītaśokabhayābādhāḥ sukhasvapnavibodhanāḥ ||
prati bhāratagoptāraṃ samapadyanta bhūmipāḥ ||
śaṃtanupramukhair gupte loke nṛpatibhis tadā ||
niyamāt sarvavarṇānāṃ brahmottaram avartata ||
brahma paryacarat kṣatraṃ viśaḥ kṣatram anuvratāḥ ||
brahmakṣatrānuraktāś ca śūdrāḥ paryacaran viśaḥ ||
Vaishampayana said: 'Thus that wise Shantanu, honored by gods, kings and sages, righteous, was renowned throughout all the worlds as truthful. Self-restraint, generosity, patience, intelligence, modesty, fortitude, supreme vigor — these dwelt constantly in the magnanimous Shantanu, bull among men. Thus that king, endowed with virtues, skilled in dharma and artha, was the protector of the Bharata line and of virtuous people. With a neck like a conch shell, with broad shoulders, mighty as a rutting elephant, he held firm to this: "Dharma stands higher than both desire and gain." These virtues were in the magnanimous Shantanu, O bull among the Bharatas; and there was no kshatriya equal to him in dharma. Abiding in his own dharma, the foremost among the knowers of all dharmas — that guardian of the earth was anointed by the kings as sovereign over kings. Free from grief, fear and affliction, sleeping and waking in peace, the kings of the earth lived under the protection of that guardian of the Bharatas. When the world was guarded by kings headed by Shantanu, then, through the observance of the rule by all the classes, everything proceeded under the primacy of the brahmins. The kshatriyas served the brahmins, the vaishyas followed the kshatriyas, and the shudras, devoted to the brahmins and kshatriyas, served the vaishyas.'
16ddefa3bc79 · प्रकाशित 12 जुल॰ 2026, 4:16:46 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
Here the narrator praises the virtues of Shantanu and the order of his kingdom. His chief principle stands out: "dharma is higher than both desire and gain" — that is, the law stands above pleasure and profit. This is the model of the righteous ruler: a king who places dharma above his own wishes and self-interest becomes the protector of all and a father to his subjects; the flourishing of the whole kingdom depends on his righteousness. Notable too is the description of brahmottara — an order in which the brahmins hold primacy and each class serves the one above it. This is not oppression but the harmonious structure of varnashrama, where each fulfills his duty for the sake of the whole, crowned by the spiritual guidance of the brahmins who preserve dharma. Here is the image of a healthy society: it stands not by force but by dharma, and it flourishes when the ruler honors those who know God and the law. And the fruit of such rule is that the subjects are 'free from grief, fear and affliction' — where the king is righteous, the people are at peace. Thus the scripture shows that outward prosperity is the fruit of the ruler's inward fidelity to dharma.