Shloka 3

Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ

Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics

Devanagari script

न्यायविद्‌ धर्मतत्त्वज्ञ: षडज्भविदनुत्तम: । ऐक्यसंयोगनानात्वसमवायविशारद:

Transliteration

nyāyavid dharmatattvajñaḥ ṣaḍjñavid anuttamaḥ | aikyasaṃyoganānātvasamavāyaviśāradaḥ ||

Translation

അദ്ദേഹം ന്യായവിദഗ്ധനും ധർമ്മതത്ത്വത്തിന്റെ മർമ്മജ്ഞനും ആയിരുന്നു; ഷഡംഗവിദ്യയിൽ അനുത്തമൻ. ഏകത്വവും സംയോഗവും, നാനാത്വവും സമവായവും—ഇവയുടെ ബന്ധവിചാരണയിൽ അത്യന്തം വിശാരദനായിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

न्यायविद्knower of justice/logic

धर्मतत्त्वज्ञःknower of the true principles of dharma

षड्जभविद्knower of the ṣaḍja etc. (musical notes/tones)

अनुत्तमःunsurpassed, excellent

ऐक्यसंयोगनानात्वसमवायविशारदःskilled in (the categories of) unity, conjunction, plurality, and inherence

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse praises an ideal counselor/judge: one who unites ethical insight (dharma-tattva) with rigorous analysis (nyāya) and a refined grasp of relations such as unity, difference, conjunction, and inherence—suggesting that sound governance depends on both moral clarity and precise reasoning.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is describing a distinguished figure by listing his intellectual and ethical qualifications—portraying him as exceptionally learned in dharma and logical-philosophical categories, fit to advise or adjudicate in the royal assembly context of the Sabha Parva.