Shloka 38

Devanagari script

क्षात्रेण धर्मेण पराक्रमेण जित्वा महीं मन्त्रविद्भ्य: प्रदाय । नाकस्य पृष्ठेडसि नरेन्द्र गन्ता न शोचितव्यं भवताद्य पार्थ

Transliteration

kṣātreṇa dharmeṇa parākrameṇa jitvā mahīṃ mantravidbhyaḥ pradāya | nākasya pṛṣṭheḍasi narendra gantā na śocitavyaṃ bhavatā'dya pārtha ||

Translation

ນະກຸລາ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ໂດຍທຳຂອງນັກຮົບ ແລະໂດຍຄວາມກ້າຫານ ເຈົ້າໄດ້ຊະນະແຜ່ນດິນ ແລ້ວຈຶ່ງມອບໃຫ້ແກ່ຜູ້ຮູ້ມົນຕຣາ ແລະຜູ້ຊ່ຽວຊານໃນຄຳປຶກສາ. ໂອ ພະຣາຊາ, ເຈົ້າຈະໄປຮອດຍອດແຫ່ງສະຫວັນ. ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ໂອ ປາຣຖະ, ຢ່າໂສກເສົ້າໃນມື້ນີ້».

Word by Word

क्षात्रेणby/with kshatriya (royal) duty

धर्मेणby righteousness/dharma

पराक्रमेणby valor/heroic effort

जित्वाhaving conquered

महींthe earth

मन्त्रविद्भ्यःto the knowers of sacred counsel/mantras (wise Brahmins)

प्रदायhaving given (away)

नाकस्यof heaven (svarga)

पृष्ठेon the back/surface

असिyou are

नरेन्द्रO king (lord of men)

गन्ताone who will go / destined to go

नnot

शोचितव्यम्to be grieved for / fit to be lamented

भवताby you (honorific)

अद्यtoday/now

पार्थO Partha (son of Pritha)

Speaker

नकुल उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nakula

Narendra (king)

Pārtha (son of Pṛthā, Arjuna)

Mahī (the earth/kingdom)

Nāka (heaven)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Nakula links righteous kingship to two ethical pillars: (1) victory gained through kṣatriya-dharma and courage, and (2) non-attachment expressed through giving the conquered realm to the wise. Such action, combining duty with generosity/renunciation, is presented as a path to heavenly merit; hence grief is discouraged.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nakula addresses a king—calling him both ‘narendra’ and ‘Pārtha’—to console him. He argues that after fulfilling warrior-duty in conquest and then relinquishing the fruits by gifting the earth to learned counselors/Brahmins, the king is destined for heaven, so present sorrow is inappropriate.