Shanti Parva Adhyaya 70 Shloka 74 - Mahabharata | Khmer | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Shloka 74

Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)

Devanagari script

(श्लोकाश्लोशनसा गीतास्तान्‌ निबोध युधिष्छिर । दण्डनीतेश्व यन्मूलं त्रिवर्गस्थ च भूपते ।।

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |

daṇḍanītiś ca rājā ca samastau tāv ubhāv api |

kasyā kiṁ kurvataḥ siddhyet tan me brūhi pitāmaha ||

Translation

យុធិષ્ઠិរៈបានទូលសួរ៖ «ព្រះតាបិតាមហៈ! ទាំងដណ្ឌនីតិ (វិទ្យានៃការដាក់ទណ្ឌកម្ម និងការគ្រប់គ្រង) និងព្រះរាជា សហការគ្នាដូចជាអង្គតែមួយ។ សូមប្រាប់ខ្ញុំថា ការសម្រេចជោគជ័យក្នុងរាជការនោះ កើតឡើងដោយសកម្មភាពអ្វី របស់អ្នកណា?»

Word by Word

श्लोकाःverses

श्लोशनसाःpraiseworthy/commendatory (epithet of verses; reading uncertain)

गीताःsung/uttered

तान्those (verses)

निबोधunderstand/listen

युधिष्ठिरO Yudhiṣṭhira

दण्डनीतेषुin matters of polity/punitive governance

चand

यत्which/that

मूलम्root/foundation

त्रिवर्गस्थम्situated in the three aims (dharma-artha-kāma)

चand

भूपतेO king

भार्गवBhārgava (Śukra)

अधिरसम्superior essence/juice (reading uncertain)

कर्मaction/means

षोडशाङ्गम्sixteen-limbed (having sixteen parts)

चand

यत्which/that

बलम्strength/power

विषम्poison

मायाdeception/strategy

चand

दैवम्fate/divine factor

चand

पौरुषम्human effort/valor

अर्थसिद्धयेfor accomplishment of purpose/wealth

प्राक्eastward/in the east

उदक्northward/in the north

प्रवर्णम्sloping/low-lying (reading uncertain)

दुर्गम्fort

समासाद्यhaving approached/obtained

महीपतिःthe king

त्रिवर्गत्रयसम्पूर्णम्fully furnished with the threefold triad of aims (reading/interpretation uncertain)

उपादायhaving taken/accepted

तम्that (fort/arrangement)

उद्धहेत्should bear/undertake

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Pitāmaha (Bhīṣma)

Daṇḍanīti

Rājā (the king)

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?

Effective rule is not achieved by a king alone or by abstract policy alone: success arises from their coordinated functioning—personal leadership and moral agency on one side, and the structured system of law, discipline, and measured punishment on the other.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva dialogue on kingship, Yudhiṣṭhira asks Bhīṣma to clarify the division of responsibility between the ruler and daṇḍanīti: which of the two must do what so that governance and its aims are actually fulfilled.