Shloka 3
Arjuna’s Account of Tapas and the Kirāta Test; Revelation of Maheśvara and the Grant of the Pāśupata-Astra
धृतिमान् देशकालज्ञ: सर्वधर्मविधानवित् | क्षत्रिय: क्षत्रियश्रेष्ठ प्रशास्ति पृथिवीं चिरम्,क्षत्रियश्रेष्ठ! जो क्षत्रिय धैर्यवान, देश-कालको समझनेवाला तथा सम्पूर्ण धर्मोके विधानका ज्ञाता है, वह दीर्घकालतक इस पृथ्वीका शासन कर सकता है
dhṛtimān deśa-kāla-jñaḥ sarva-dharma-vidhāna-vit | kṣatriyaḥ kṣatriya-śreṣṭha praśāsti pṛthivīṃ ciram ||
Dhanada said: “O best of kṣatriyas, the kṣatriya who is steadfast, who understands place and time, and who knows the ordinances of dharma in their entirety, is able to govern the earth for a long time.”
धनद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Enduring rule depends not merely on power but on character and discernment: firmness (dhṛti), contextual judgment (deśa-kāla-jñatā), and comprehensive knowledge of dharma’s ordinances. These qualities enable stable, ethical governance.
Dhanada addresses an exemplary kṣatriya and states a principle of kingship: a ruler who combines steadfastness, situational wisdom, and mastery of dharma can administer the earth successfully for a long time.