Shloka 6

Devanagari script

लोकवृत्ताद्‌ राजवृत्तमन्यदाह बृहस्पति: । तस्माद्‌ राज्ञाप्रमत्तेन स्वार्थश्रिन्त्य: सदैव हि,बृहस्पतिने राजव्यवहारको लोकव्यवहारसे भिन्न बताया है; अतः राजाको सावधान होकर सदा अपने प्रयोजनका ही चिन्तन करना चाहिये। महाराज! क्षत्रियकी वृत्ति विजयमें ही लगी रहती है, वह चाहे धर्म हो या अधर्म। अपनी वृत्तिके विषयमें क्या परीक्षा करनी है?

Transliteration

lokavṛttād rājavṛttam anyad āha bṛhaspatiḥ | tasmād rājñāpramattena svārthaś cintyaḥ sadaiva hi ||

Translation

Duryodhana dit : «Bṛhaspati a déclaré que la conduite qui sied à la royauté diffère de celle que suit le commun des hommes. Aussi un roi doit-il demeurer toujours vigilant et méditer sans cesse sur son propre avantage.»

Word by Word

लोकवृत्तात्from the conduct of the people

राजवृत्तम्the conduct of a king

अन्यत्different, other

आहsaid

बृहस्पतिःBṛhaspati

तस्मात्therefore, from that

राज्ञाby the king

अप्रमत्तेनby one who is vigilant/unheedless (i.e., not careless)

स्वार्थचिन्त्यःto be thought of as one’s own purpose (i.e., one should think of one’s own interest)

सदैवalways

हिindeed, for

Speaker

दुर्योधन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Duryodhana

Bṛhaspati

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse asserts a separation between ordinary social morality (lokavṛtta) and the special code of kingship (rājavṛtta), urging the ruler to be constantly vigilant and to prioritize political self-interest as a principle of governance.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Sabha Parva context, Duryodhana articulates a hard-edged political stance, citing Bṛhaspati as an authority to justify a king’s distinct conduct and the need to focus on advantage and strategy rather than common social expectations.