Shloka 8

Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)

Devanagari script

कथं च राजा वर्तेत लोके कलुषतां गते । कथमर्थाच्च धर्माच्च न हीयेत परंतप,परंतप! जब लोग पापपरायण हो जाये, उस अवस्थामें राजा कैसा बर्ताव करे, जिससे वह धर्म और अर्थसे भी भ्रष्ट न हो?

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |

kathaṃ ca rājā varteta loke kaluṣatāṃ gate |

katham arthāc ca dharmāc ca na hīyeta parantapa ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira said: “When the world has fallen into moral taint and people become inclined to sin, how should a king conduct himself? And how can he ensure that, even in such a time, he does not decline from both dharma (righteous duty) and artha (sound governance and material welfare), O Parantapa?”

Word by Word

कथम्how?

चand

राजाthe king

वर्तेतshould behave / should conduct himself

लोकेin the world

कलुषताम्of impurity / of corruption

गतेwhen (it) has come / when it has occurred

कथम्how?

अर्थात्from wealth / from artha

चand

धर्मात्from dharma / from righteousness

चand

नnot

हीयेतshould not fall away / should not be diminished

परंतपO scorcher of foes (epithet)

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Parantapa (epithet of the addressee)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes