Shloka 5

Āṇīmāṇḍavya–Upākhyāna

The Account of Āṇīmāṇḍavya and the Birth of Vidura

Devanagari script

तस्य कीर्तिमतो वृत्तमवेक्ष्म सततं नरा: । धर्म एव पर: कामादर्थाच्चेति व्यवस्थिता:,उन यशस्वी महाराजके धर्मपूर्ण सदाचारको देखकर सब मनुष्य सदा इसी निश्चयपर पहुँचे थे कि काम और अर्थसे धर्म ही श्रेष्ठ है

Transliteration

tasya kīrtimato vṛttam avekṣma satataṃ narāḥ | dharma eva paraḥ kāmād arthāc ceti vyavasthitāḥ ||

Translation

Al contemplar la conducta, colmada de dharma, de aquel rey ilustre, los hombres llegaban una y otra vez a una convicción firme: que solo el dharma es superior tanto al deseo (kāma) como a la ganancia material (artha).

Word by Word

तस्यof him

कीर्तिमतःof the renowned (one)

वृत्तम्conduct, behavior

अवेक्ष्मwe observed, we beheld

सततम्always, continually

नराःmen, people

धर्मःdharma, righteousness

एवindeed, alone

परःsuperior

कामात्than desire/pleasure

अर्थात्than wealth/advantage

चand

इतिthus

व्यवस्थिताःresolved, firmly settled (in opinion)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

kīrtimān rājā (the renowned king, unnamed in this verse)

narāḥ (the people/men)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse asserts a clear hierarchy of human aims: dharma (righteous duty and moral order) is supreme, outweighing both kāma (desire/pleasure) and artha (wealth/advantage). A ruler’s exemplary life can lead society to internalize this ethical priority.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports that people, by repeatedly observing the famed king’s consistent righteous conduct, arrived at a firm conclusion about values—recognizing dharma as the highest guiding principle over personal desire and material gain.