Shloka 5

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

Devanagari script

यथा हि रश्मयो<श्वस्य द्विरदस्याड्कुशो यथा । नरेन्द्रधर्मो लोकस्य तथा प्रग्रहणं स्मृतम्‌,जैसे घोड़ोंको काबूमें रखनेके लिये लगाम और हाथीको वशमें करनेके लिये अकुंश है, उसी प्रकार समस्त संसारको मर्यादाके भीतर रखनेके लिये राजधर्म आवश्यक है; वह उसके लिये प्रग्रह अर्थात्‌ उसको नियन्त्रित करनेमें समर्थ माना गया है

Transliteration

yathā hi raśmayo 'śvasya dviradasyāṅkuśo yathā | narendradharmo lokasya tathā pragrahaṇaṁ smṛtam ||

Translation

Just as reins restrain a horse and a goad controls an elephant, so the dharma of a king is remembered as the bridle of the world—capable of holding society within proper bounds and preventing it from running into disorder.

Word by Word

यथाjust as

हिindeed/for

रश्मयःreins

अश्वस्यof a horse

द्विरदस्यof an elephant

अङ्कुशःgoad/hook

यथाjust as

नरेन्द्रधर्मःkingly duty/royal law

लोकस्यof the world/people

तथाso/in the same way

प्रग्रहणम्restraint/bridling/control

स्मृतम्is considered/remembered (as)

Speaker

युधिषछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

य

युधिष्ठिर (Yudhiṣṭhira)

न

नरेन्द्र (king)

अ

अश्व (horse)

र

रश्मि/रश्मयः (reins)

द

द्विरद (elephant)

अ

अङ्कुश (elephant-goad)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes