Shloka 56

नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः

Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city

Devanagari script

वीर विक्रान्त धर्मज्ञ सत्यसंध महीपते

Transliteration

vīra vikrānta dharmajña satyasaṃdha mahīpate

Translation

يا أيها الملكُ البطل، الشديدُ البأس، العارفُ بالدارما، الثابتُ على الصدق—يا حاكمَ الأرض.

Word by Word

वीरO hero

विक्रान्तvaliant, mighty (having advanced/stridden forth)

धर्मज्ञknower of dharma

सत्यसंधtrue to one’s promise, of truthful resolve

महीपतेO lord of the earth (king)

Speaker

बृहृदश्च उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bṛhadaśva

mahīpati (the king being addressed)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical ideal of kingship: true sovereignty is grounded not merely in power, but in dharma-knowledge and unwavering commitment to truth—virtues that legitimize authority and guide just action.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bṛhadaśva addresses a king with honorific epithets—heroic, valiant, dharma-knowing, and truth-bound—setting a respectful tone before delivering counsel or continuing the story, and framing the listener as worthy of moral instruction.