Shloka 12
Nahūṣa-Ājagara Saṃvāda: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Definition of Brāhmaṇa and the ‘Vedyam’ Debate
कीर्तिस्तु ते भारत पुण्यगन्धा नश्येद्धि लोकेषु चराचरेषु तत् प्राप्य राज्यं कुरुपुड्रवानां शक््यं महत् प्राप्तुमथ क्रियाश्व॒,“परंतु ऐसा होनेपर चराचर जगत्में आपकी पुण्यमयी कीर्ति नष्ट हो जायगी। इसलिये कुरुवंश-शिरोमणि अपने पूर्वजोंके उस महान् राज्यको प्राप्त करके ही हम और कोई सत्कर्म करनेयोग्य हो सकते हैं। भरतकुलभूषण महाराज! आप कुबेरसे जो सम्मान या अनुग्रह प्राप्त कर रहे हैं, इसे तो सदा ही प्राप्त कर सकते हैं। इस समय तो अपराधी शत्रुओंको मारने और दण्ड देनेका निश्चय कीजिये
kīrtis tu te bhārata puṇyagandhā naśyed dhi lokeṣu carācareṣu | tat prāpya rājyaṃ kurupuṇḍravānāṃ śakyaṃ mahat prāptum atha kriyāśva ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “O scion of Bharata, if you act otherwise, your fame—fragrant with merit—will perish among all worlds of moving and unmoving beings. Therefore, only after regaining that great ancestral kingdom of the Kurus and Puṇḍras can one truly undertake and attain great and worthy deeds. The honor or favor you receive from Kubera can be obtained at any time; but now you should resolve to strike down and punish the offending enemies.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical kingship as inseparable from reputation grounded in merit: abandoning rightful duty causes one’s virtuous fame to collapse across the world, whereas reclaiming legitimate sovereignty enables truly great and righteous action; worldly favors (even from Kubera) are secondary to timely justice against wrongdoing.
In Vaiśaṃpāyana’s narration, counsel is being given to a Bharata prince: do not choose a course that would tarnish renown; instead, regain the ancestral realm of the Kurus (and associated territories) and decisively punish culpable enemies—since divine or royal honors can be sought later, but the moment for enforcing justice is now.