Shloka 48

Devanagari script

अवाप्त: क्षत्रधर्मस्ते राज्यं प्राप्तमकण्टकम्‌ । रक्षस्व धर्म कौन्तेय श्रेयान्‌ यः प्रेत्य भारत,कुन्तीकुमार! भरतनन्दन! तुमने क्षत्रियरर्मका पालन किया है और इस समय तुम्हें यह निष्कण्टक राज्य मिला है; अतः अब तुम उस धर्मकी ही रक्षा करो, जो मृत्युके पश्चात्‌ सबका कल्याण करनेवाला है

Transliteration

avāptaḥ kṣatradharmas te rājyaṃ prāptam akaṇṭakam | rakṣasva dharma kaunteya śreyān yaḥ pretya bhārata ||

Translation

व्यास म्हणाले—हे कौन्तेय, हे भारत! तू क्षत्रियधर्माचे पालन केलेस आणि तुला काटेकुटे नसलेले—शत्रुबाधारहित—राज्य प्राप्त झाले आहे. म्हणून धर्माचेच रक्षण कर; कारण, हे भारत, तोच धर्म मृत्यूनंतरही परम कल्याण करणारा आहे.

Word by Word

• {'avāptaḥ': 'attained, accomplished', 'kṣatra-dharmaḥ': 'the duty/law of the warrior-ruler (kṣatriya), including protection and just governance', 'te': 'by you / your', 'rājyam': 'kingdom, sovereignty', 'prāptam': 'obtained, received', 'akaṇṭakam': 'without thorns

• unobstructed, free from enemies/impediments', 'rakṣasva': 'protect, preserve (imperative)', 'dharma': 'righteous order

• just conduct', 'kaunteya': 'son of Kuntī (address to Yudhiṣṭhira/Pāṇḍava)', 'śreyān': 'better, superior, conducive to true welfare', 'yaḥ': 'which/that (referring to dharma)', 'pretya': 'after death

• in the hereafter', 'bhārata': 'O descendant of Bharata (address to Yudhiṣṭhira)'}

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Kaunteya (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Bhārata (descendant of Bharata)
• rājya (the kingdom)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even after achieving political success, a ruler’s highest obligation is to safeguard Dharma—just order and righteous conduct—because it yields the greatest welfare, including in the hereafter.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s counsel to the post-war king, Vyāsa addresses Yudhiṣṭhira: having fulfilled kṣatriya duty and gained an unobstructed kingdom, he must now preserve Dharma through righteous governance.