Shloka 46

Devanagari script

दान॑ यज्ञा: सतां पूजा वेदधारणमार्जवम्‌ | एष धर्म: परो राजन्‌ बलवान प्रेत्य चेह च,“महाराज! इहलोक और परलोकमें भी दान, यज्ञ, संतोंका आदर, वेदोंका स्वाध्याय और सरलता आदि ही उत्तम एवं प्रबल धर्म माने गये हैं

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca | dānaṁ yajñāḥ satāṁ pūjā vedadhāraṇam ārjavam | eṣa dharmaḥ paro rājan balavān pretya ceha ca ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “O King, giving in charity, the performance of sacrifices, honoring the virtuous, the preservation and study of the Vedas, and straightforwardness—these are held to be the highest form of dharma. This dharma is powerful both here in this world and after death in the next.”

Word by Word

दानम्gift, charity

यज्ञाःsacrifices, rites

सताम्of the good/virtuous people

पूजाhonour, worship

वेदधारणम्retention/maintenance of the Veda (study/keeping in memory)

आर्जवम्straightforwardness, sincerity

एषःthis

धर्मःdharma, righteous duty

परःsupreme, highest

राजन्O king

बलवान्powerful, strong

प्रेत्यafter death, having departed (to the next world)

चand

इहhere (in this world)

चand

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

rājan (the king, addressed)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse defines ‘supreme dharma’ as a set of sustaining virtues—charity, sacrificial duty, reverence for the virtuous, commitment to Vedic learning/preservation, and honest simplicity—stating that these yield strength and benefit both in worldly life and in the afterlife.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vaiśampāyana’s narration to the king, a concise ethical summary is given: the narrator enumerates practices and virtues recognized as the most powerful form of dharma, emphasizing their efficacy across both realms (iha and pretya).