Shloka 45

Devanagari script

विराट उवाच बहुश: प्रतिषिद्धोडसि न च वाचं नियच्छसि । नियन्ता चेन्न विद्येत न कश्चिद्‌ धर्ममाचरेत्‌,विराटने कहा--कंक! मैंने बहुत बार मना किया, तो भी तू अपनी जबान नहीं बंद कर रहा है। सच है, यदि शासन करनेवाला राजा न हो, तो कोई भी धर्मका आचरण नहीं कर सकता

Transliteration

virāṭa uvāca | bahuśaḥ pratiṣiddho 'si na ca vācaṃ niyacchasi | niyantā cen na vidyeta na kaścid dharmam ācaret |

Translation

Virāṭa sprach: „Kanka! Ich habe es dir oft verboten, und doch zügelst du deine Rede nicht. Wahrlich: Gäbe es keinen Herrscher, der die Ordnung durchsetzt, könnte niemand Dharma üben.“

Word by Word

विराटःVirata

उवाचsaid

बहुशःmany times

प्रतिषिद्धःforbidden / restrained (by me)

असिyou are

नnot

चand

वाचम्speech / words

नियच्छसिyou restrain / you hold back

नियन्ताa controller / ruler

चेत्if

नnot

विद्येतwould exist / would be found

नnot

कश्चित्anyone

धर्मम्dharma / righteousness

आचरेत्would practice / would follow

Speaker

विराट उवाच

Characters & Entities

Virāṭa

Kaṅka

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse links dharma to effective restraint and governance: without a legitimate enforcer of order (niyantā, the king), social discipline collapses and people cease to practice righteous conduct. It underscores the ethical function of kingship as protection and regulation, not merely power.

What is happening in the narrative?

King Virāṭa rebukes Kaṅka for speaking despite repeated prohibitions. In the course of scolding him, Virāṭa generalizes the point into a political-ethical claim: rule and restraint are necessary conditions for dharma to be observed in society.