Shloka 73
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
राज्ञां हि बलमैश्वर्य ब्रह्म ब्रह्मविदां बलम् रूपयौवनसौभाग्यं स्त्रीणां बलमनुत्तमम्,राजाओंका बल एऐश्वर्य है, वेदज्ञ ब्राह्मणोंका बल वेद है तथा स्त्रियोंका परम उत्तम बल रूप, यौवन और सौभाग्य है
rājñāṃ hi balam aiśvaryaṃ brahma brahmavidāṃ balam | rūpa-yauvana-saubhāgyaṃ strīṇāṃ balam anuttamam ||
Janaka berkata: “Bagi para raja, kekuatan terletak pada kedaulatan dan kuasa; bagi para brahmavid (mereka yang mengetahui Brahman—pengetahuan Weda), kekuatan terletak pada Brahman itu sendiri. Adapun bagi perempuan, kekuatan yang tiada banding ialah kecantikan, masa muda, dan keberuntungan.”
जनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse classifies ‘strength’ according to social function: rulers rely on sovereignty, spiritual scholars rely on sacred knowledge, and women are said to wield influence through beauty, youth, and auspicious fortune. Ethically, it invites discernment that power takes different forms and should be restrained and directed by dharma rather than used as mere leverage.
King Janaka is speaking within the Shanti Parva’s reflective discourse on dharma and right conduct. He offers an observation about the typical sources of influence available to different groups, as part of a broader moral-philosophical discussion rather than a battlefield event.