Shloka 5

Jarāsandha-nipātana, rāja-mokṣa, and rājasūya-sāhāyya-prārthanā

Jarāsandha’s fall, liberation of kings, and request for support

Devanagari script

त्रैलोक्ये क्षत्रधर्मो हि श्रेयान्‌ वै साधुचारिणाम्‌ | नान्यं धर्म प्रशंसन्ति ये च धर्मविदो जना:,सत्कर्म करनेवाले क्षत्रियोंके लिये तीनों लोकोंमें क्षत्रियधर्म ही श्रेष्ठ है। धर्मज्ञ पुरुष क्षत्रियके लिये अन्य धर्मकी प्रशंसा नहीं करते

Transliteration

trailokye kṣatradharmo hi śreyān vai sādhucāriṇām | nānyaṃ dharmaṃ praśaṃsanti ye ca dharmavido janāḥ ||

Translation

তিন লোকেই সদাচারী ক্ষত্রিয়দের জন্য ক্ষত্রধর্মই শ্রেষ্ঠ। যারা ধর্ম জানে, তারা ক্ষত্রিয়ের জন্য অন্য কোনো ধর্মকে শ্রেষ্ঠ বলে প্রশংসা করে না।

Word by Word

त्रैलोक्येin the three worlds

क्षत्रधर्मःthe Kshatriya-duty

हिindeed/for

श्रेयान्better/superior

वैindeed/assuredly

साधुचारिणाम्of the good-conducted (persons)

नnot

अन्यम्another/other

धर्मम्duty/law

प्रशंसन्तिthey praise

येwho/those who

चand

धर्मविदःknowers of dharma

जनाःpeople/persons

Speaker

जरासंध उवाच

Characters & Entities

Jarāsandha

trailokya (the three worlds)

kṣatriya (warrior class)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse asserts a dharma-ethic of role-appropriateness: for a kṣatriya who seeks to act rightly, the highest good lies in faithfully performing kṣatriya-dharma, and true knowers of dharma do not recommend abandoning it for some other path.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Sabha Parva context, Jarāsandha is articulating a normative claim about royal/warrior duty—using the authority of ‘dharma-knowers’ to justify that a kṣatriya’s proper course is to adhere to the warrior-ruler’s obligations rather than adopt a different dharma.