Rajadharma
{{Short description|Sanskrit for "king's duty"}}
{{hinduism}}{{Italic title}}Rajadharma ({{Langx|sa|राजधर्म|translit=rājadharma}}) is the Sanskrit term for the duty of the king or emperor.{{Cite book |last=Reden |first=Sitta |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H_UEEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT567 |title=Handbook of Ancient Afro-Eurasian Economies: Volume 1: Contexts |date=2019-12-02 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG |isbn=978-3-11-060494-8 |pages=567 |language=en}} The concept of the rajadharma is extensively discussed in the genre of Hindu literature called the Dharmashastras.{{Cite book |last1=Olivelle |first1=Patrick |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OgJCDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA258 |title=The Oxford History of Hinduism: Hindu Law: A New History of Dharmaśāstra |last2=Davis |first2=Donald R. |date=2017-12-08 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-100708-8 |pages=258 |language=en}}
Description
Rajadharma referred to the obligations of a king or emperor towards his subjects, to ensure their prosperity and peace during his reign. The Arthashastra and the Shanti Parva of the Mahabharata are regarded to be prominent sources of literature regarding this concept.{{Cite book |last1=Chatterji |first1=Madhumita |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9OoQDQAAQBAJ&dq=R%C4%81jadharma+king+duty&pg=PA333 |title=Ethical Leadership: Indian and European Spiritual Approaches |last2=Zsolnai |first2=László |date=2016-09-13 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-137-60194-0 |pages=333 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Sivaraman |first=Krishna |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lktl97WdxWkC&pg=PA133 |title=Hindu Spirituality: Vedas Through Vedanta |date=1989 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers |isbn=978-81-208-1254-3 |pages=133 |language=en}}
The primary duty of a monarch was regarded to be the protection of his subjects, a role that included providing a sense of security for them by punishing criminals such as thieves and other wrongdoers, as well as defending the kingdom or empire from invaders.{{Cite book |last=Chattopadhyaya |first=Brajadulal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0tX4wzIUY3QC&pg=PA100 |title=A Social History of Early India |date=2009 |publisher=Pearson Education India |isbn=978-81-317-1958-9 |pages=100 |language=en}}
It also included the maintenance of the social order, regarded to be necessary for the moral order.{{Cite book |last=Rao |first=Nalini |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ghr8DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA70 |title=The Hindu Monastery in South India: Social, Religious, and Artistic Traditions |date=2020-09-29 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-7936-2238-9 |pages=70 |language=en}}
According to the Ramayana, the right to rule of kings and their divine status went hand-in-hand with the performance of their rajadharma.{{Cite book |last=Rocher |first=Ludo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dziNBAAAQBAJ&dq=R%C4%81jadharma+king+R%C4%81ma&pg=PA325 |title=Studies in Hindu Law and Dharmaśāstra |date=2014-10-01 |publisher=Anthem Press |isbn=978-1-78308-315-2 |pages=325 |language=en}}
Footnotes
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Category:Hindu philosophical concepts