Shloka 3

Devanagari script

युधिछिर उवाच कीदशैरव्यवहारैस्तु कैश्न व्यवहरेन्नप: । एतत्पृष्टो महाप्राज्ञ यथावद्‌ वक्तुमहसि,युधिष्ठिरे पूछा--महामते! राजाको किस-किस प्रकारके लोगोंसे किस-किस प्रकारका बर्ताव काममें लाना चाहिये? मेरे इस प्रश्नचका आप यथावत्‌्रूपसे समाधान करें

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | kīdṛśair avyavahārais tu kaiś ca vyavaharen nṛpaḥ | etat pṛṣṭo mahāprājña yathāvad vaktum arhasi ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O greatly wise one, with what kinds of people—especially those of improper conduct—and in what manner should a king conduct his dealings? Since I ask you this, you ought to explain it correctly and in due order.”

Word by Word

युधिष्ठिरःYudhiṣṭhira

उवाचsaid

कीदृशैःwith what kind (of)

व्यवहारैःdealings, modes of conduct

तुindeed, but

कैःwith whom (with which persons)

चand

व्यवहरेत्should व्यवहार/behave, should deal

नृपःa king

एतत्this

पृष्टःbeing asked

महाप्राज्ञO greatly wise one

यथावत्properly, as it truly is

वक्तुम्to speak

अर्हसिyou ought, you are fit

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

nṛpaḥ (the king)

mahāprājña (the wise interlocutor)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a rājadharma inquiry: a king must know how to engage different types of people, including those of improper conduct, and must apply appropriate, principled modes of interaction rather than a single uniform approach.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on governance and dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira asks a highly wise teacher to explain, in a systematic and correct way, how a ruler should conduct dealings with various kinds of persons.