Shloka 18

Matsya Purana — Yayāti’s Rule

Devanagari script

कथं ज्येष्ठमतिक्रम्य कनीयान् राज्यमर्हति एतत्संबोधयामस्त्वां स्वधर्ममनुपालय //

Transliteration

kathaṃ jyeṣṭhamatikramya kanīyān rājyamarhati etatsaṃbodhayāmastvāṃ svadharmamanupālaya //

Translation

How can the younger be fit to rule the kingdom, bypassing the elder? We admonish you about this—uphold your own dharma.

Word by Word

• katham: how

• jyeṣṭham: the elder (senior)

• atikramya: overstepping, bypassing

• kanīyān: the younger (junior)

• rājyam: kingship, kingdom

• arhati: deserves, is fit for

• etat: this (matter)

• saṃbodhayāmaḥ: we instruct/admonish (you)

• tvām: you

• svadharmam: one’s own duty/righteous order

• anupālaya: protect, observe, follow

Speaker

• Royal counsellors/elders addressing a prince/king (succession admonition within Rajadharma context)

Tags

• Rajadharma
• Succession
• Svadharma
• Kingship
• Ethics

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the creation or dissolution (Pralaya)?

Nothing directly—this verse is ethical-political instruction (rajadharma), focusing on rightful succession and adherence to svadharma rather than cosmology or pralaya.

How does this verse relate to the duties of a King or Householder?

It frames kingship as a dharmic trust: political authority should follow rightful order (the elder’s prior claim), and the intended ruler is urged to maintain svadharma—governing in accordance with inherited duty and moral law.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No vastu, temple-building, or ritual procedure is mentioned; the takeaway is governance-ethics—legitimacy arises from dharma, not mere power.