Shloka 1

Devanagari script

हि न () हि २ आम द्विषष्ट्याधिकशततमो< ध्याय: कुबेरका युधिष्ठिर आदिको उपदेश और सान्त्वना देकर अपने भवनको प्रस्थान धनद उवाच युधिष्ठिर धृतिर्दाक्ष्य देशकालपराक्रमा: । लोकततन्त्रविधानानामेष पञ्चविधो विधि:,कुबेर बोले--युधिष्ठिर! धैर्य, दक्षता, देश, काल और पराक्रम--ये पाँच लौकिक कार्योंकी सिद्धिके हेतु हैं

Transliteration

Dhanada uvāca—Yudhiṣṭhira dhṛtir dākṣyaṁ deśa-kāla-parākramāḥ | loka-tantra-vidhānānām eṣa pañca-vidho vidhiḥ ||

Translation

Dhanada (Kubera) said: “Yudhiṣṭhira, steadfastness, practical skill, the right place, the right time, and decisive effort—these five constitute the method by which worldly undertakings are properly organized and brought to success.”

Word by Word

• {'Dhanada': '‘Giver of wealth’

• epithet of Kubera', 'uvāca': 'said', 'Yudhiṣṭhira': 'eldest Pāṇḍava

• exemplar of dharma', 'dhṛtiḥ': 'steadfastness, fortitude, sustaining resolve', 'dākṣyam': 'competence, skill, efficiency in action', 'deśaḥ': 'place, locality

• suitability of setting', 'kālaḥ': 'time

• proper timing/occasion', 'parākramaḥ': 'valor, energetic initiative, decisive exertion', 'loka-tantra': 'worldly order

• practical governance/management of affairs', 'vidhāna': 'arrangement, regulation, proper procedure', 'pañca-vidhaḥ': 'fivefold', 'vidhiḥ': 'rule, method, prescribed means'}

Speaker

धनद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhanada (Kubera)
• Yudhiṣṭhira

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Success in worldly duties depends on a fivefold discipline: inner steadiness (dhṛti), competent execution (dākṣya), choosing an appropriate setting (deśa), acting at the right moment (kāla), and applying courageous, decisive effort (parākrama).

What is happening in the narrative?

Kubera (Dhanada) addresses Yudhiṣṭhira with counsel meant to steady and guide him, framing practical principles for accomplishing tasks and governing conduct amid hardship.