लोकवृत्ताद् राजवृत्तम् अन्यद् आह बृहस्पतिः ॥
तस्माद् राज्ञा प्रयत्नेन स्वार्थश् चिन्त्यः सदैव हि ॥
क्षत्रियस्य महाराज जये वृत्तिः समाहिता ॥
स वै धर्मो ऽस्त्व् अधर्मो वा स्ववृत्तौ भरतर्षभ ॥
प्रकालयेद् दिशः सर्वाः प्रतोदेनेव सारथिः ॥
प्रत्यमित्रश्रियं दीप्तां बुभूषुर् भरतर्षभ ॥
प्रच्छन्नो वा प्रकाशो वा यो योगो रिपुबान्धनः ॥
तद् वै शस्त्रं शस्त्रविदां न शस्त्रं छेदनं स्मृतम् ॥
lokavṛttād rājavṛttam anyad āha bṛhaspatiḥ ||
tasmād rājñā prayatnena svārthaś cintyaḥ sadaiva hi ||
kṣatriyasya mahārāja jaye vṛttiḥ samāhitā ||
sa vai dharmo 'stv adharmo vā svavṛttau bharatarṣabha ||
prakālayed diśaḥ sarvāḥ pratodeneva sārathiḥ ||
pratyamitraśriyaṃ dīptāṃ bubhūṣur bharatarṣabha ||
pracchanno vā prakāśo vā yo yogo ripubāndhanaḥ ||
tad vai śastraṃ śastravidāṃ na śastraṃ chedanaṃ smṛtam ||
Kingly conduct is other than worldly conduct — so said Brihaspati; therefore the king must always diligently consider his own advantage. For the kshatriya, O great king, conduct is centered on victory — be it dharma or adharma in his manner of action, O bull of the Bharatas. Let him who wishes to obtain the enemy's blazing fortune drive all directions before him, as a charioteer with his goad. Whether secret or open, whatever method overcomes the enemy is a weapon in the hands of those who know weapons; not the cutting blade alone is deemed a weapon.
13494e1e26a6 · प्रकाशित 16 जुल॰ 2026, 3:49:22 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
Here Duryodhana proclaims his creed: 'dharma or adharma — only victory matters.' It is significant that this is itself a renunciation of dharma disguised as kingly wisdom: to subordinate everything to victory is to dethrone dharma itself. The verse lays bare the root of the coming ruin — the doctrine that the end sanctifies any means, secret or open. But scripture judges otherwise: victory purchased through adharma is defeat before the eternal law; and a king who tramples dharma for the sake of triumph prepares for himself the triumph of ruin. Brihaspati, whom Duryodhana cites, taught the art of power within the bounds of dharma; to tear 'advantage' free of that law is to distort wisdom itself. Whoever says 'dharma or adharma, it makes no difference' has already chosen adharma.