Shloka 51

Devanagari script

यक्ष उवाच कि क्षत्रियाणां देवत्वं कश्न धर्म: सतामिव । कश्नैषां मानुषो भाव: किमेषामसतामिव,यक्षने पूछा-.क्षत्रियोंमें देवत्व क्या है? उनमें सत्पुरुषोंका-सा धर्म क्या है? उनका मनुष्यभाव क्या है? और उनमें असत्पुरुषोंका-सा आचरण क्या है?

Transliteration

yakṣa uvāca: kiṁ kṣatriyāṇāṁ devatvaṁ kaś ca dharmaḥ satām iva | ka eṣāṁ mānuṣo bhāvaḥ kim eṣām asatām iva ||

Translation

ಯಕ್ಷನು ಕೇಳಿದನು—ಕ್ಷತ್ರಿಯರ ದೇವತ್ವವೇನು? ಅವರಲ್ಲಿ ಸಜ್ಜನರಂತೆಯೇ ಧರ್ಮವೇನು? ಅವರ ಮಾನವಭಾವವೇನು? ಮತ್ತು ಅವರಲ್ಲಿ ದುರ್ಜನರಂತೆಯೇ ಆಚರಣೆ ಏನು?

Word by Word

यक्षःthe Yaksha

उवाचsaid

किम्what?

क्षत्रियाणाम्of (the) Kshatriyas

देवत्वम्divinity, godhood

कःwhich?/what?

धर्मःdharma, duty, conduct

सताम्of the good/virtuous (people)

इवlike, as

कःwhich?/what?

एषाम्of these (Kshatriyas)

मानुषःhuman

भावःnature, disposition, state

किम्what?

एषाम्of these (Kshatriyas)

असताम्of the bad/wicked (people)

इवlike, as

Speaker

यक्ष उवाच

Characters & Entities

य

यक्ष (Yakṣa)

क

क्षत्रिय (Kṣatriya)

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 frames a moral analysis of kṣatriya character by separating four layers: the ‘godlike’ excellence, the virtue aligned with the good, the ordinary human element, and the tendency that mirrors the wicked—inviting discernment about true righteous leadership.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Yakṣa–Yudhiṣṭhira dialogue of the Vana Parva, the Yakṣa tests the responder through probing questions. Here he asks for a nuanced definition of a kṣatriya’s nature and conduct across virtuous, human, and unvirtuous dimensions.