Shloka 27
Nakula’s Counsel on Yajña, Dāna, and Tyāga (नकुलोपदेशः—यज्ञदानत्यागविचारः)
कुट॒म्बमास्थिते त्यागं न पश्यामि नराधिप । राजसूयाश्दमेधेषु सर्वमेधेषु वा पुन:
kūṭambam āsthite tyāgaṁ na paśyāmi narādhipa | rājasūyāśvamedheṣu sarvamedheṣu vā punaḥ ||
Nakula dit : «Ô souverain des hommes, pour celui qui porte le fardeau du foyer, je ne vois pas le renoncement comme règle convenable. Qu’il s’emploie plutôt aux grands devoirs sacrificiels—tels le Rājasūya, l’Aśvamedha ou le Sarvamedha—accomplissant l’obligation par l’action légitime, non par le retrait.»
नकुल उवाच
Educational Q&A
Renunciation is not presented as the primary path for someone bound by household responsibilities; instead, dharma is fulfilled through rightful action—especially prescribed public and royal duties such as major sacrifices—so that obligation, social order, and merit are upheld.
Nakula addresses a king (narādhipa), arguing within a broader Shānti Parva discussion on dharma that a householder should not abandon duties for renunciation, but should pursue sanctioned, duty-centered religious action exemplified by great Vedic sacrifices.