Shloka 2
Arjuna’s Account of Tapas and the Kirāta Test; Revelation of Maheśvara and the Grant of the Pāśupata-Astra
धृतिमन्तश्न दक्षाश्न स्वे स्वे कर्मणि भारत । पराक्रमविधानज्ञा नरा कृतयुगे5डभवन्,भारत! सत्ययुगमें सब मनुष्य धैर्यवान, अपने-अपने कार्यमें कुशल तथा पराक्रमविधिके ज्ञाता थे
dhṛtimantaś ca dakṣāś ca sve sve karmaṇi bhārata | parākramavidhānajñā narāḥ kṛtayuge 'bhavan bhārata ||
Dhanada dijo: “Oh Bhārata, en el Kṛta (Satya) Yuga, los hombres eran firmes y dueños de sí, diestros en sus deberes respectivos y conocedores de los métodos correctos del esfuerzo y del valor. En aquella edad, la conducta humana se ajustaba de manera natural al orden recto: la competencia y el coraje eran guiados por el entendimiento, no por el arrebato.”
धनद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents the ethical ideal of the Kṛta Yuga: people naturally combine fortitude (dhṛti), competence (dakṣatā), and disciplined valor (parākramavidhāna-jñāna). Strength and skill are portrayed as morally guided—used according to proper method and duty rather than mere aggression.
Dhanada (Kubera) describes the character of humanity in the Kṛta/Satya Yuga to a Bharata prince, contrasting an earlier age of innate righteousness and well-ordered conduct with later ages where such qualities decline.