Shloka 4

राजधर्मप्रश्नः — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry into Rājadharma (Śānti-parva 56)

Devanagari script

त्रिवर्गों हि समासक्तो राजधर्मेषु कौरव । मोक्षधर्मश्ष विस्पष्ट: सकलो<त्र समाहित:,कुरुनन्दन! राजाके धर्मोमें धर्म, अर्थ और काम तीनोंका समावेश है, और यह स्पष्ट है कि सम्पूर्ण मोक्षधर्म भी राजधर्ममें निहित है

Transliteration

trivargo hi samāsakto rājadharmeṣu kaurava | mokṣadharmaś ca vispaṣṭaḥ sakalo ’tra samāhitaḥ ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O Kaurava, within the duties of kingship the three aims of life—dharma, artha, and kāma—are all bound together and actively engaged. And it is also evident that the entire teaching on liberation (mokṣa-dharma) is, in its fullness, contained here within rāja-dharma.”

Word by Word

त्रिवर्गःthe triad (dharma-artha-kama)

हिindeed/for

समासक्तःattached/engaged

राजधर्मेषुin the duties/laws of kingship

कौरवO Kaurava

मोक्षधर्मःthe dharma of liberation

चand

विस्पष्टःclearly (set forth)/evident

सकलःentire/whole

अत्रhere/in this (context)

समाहितःincluded/contained; brought together

कुरुनन्दनO joy of the Kurus

Speaker

युधिषछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Kaurava (addressee)

Rāja-dharma

Trivarga (dharma-artha-kāma)

Mokṣa-dharma

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes