Shloka 112
Nāradasya Rājadharma-praśnāḥ
Nārada’s Examination of Royal Ethics
युधिछिर उवाच कथं वै सफला वेदा: कथं वै सफलं धनम् | कथं वै सफला दारा: कथं वै सफल श्रुतम्,युधिष्ठटिरने पूछा--देवर्षे! वेद कैसे सफल होते हैं, धनकी सफलता कैसे होती है? स्त्रीकी सफलता कैसे मानी गयी है तथा शास्त्रज्ञान कैसे सफल होता है?
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca kathaṃ vai saphalā vedāḥ kathaṃ vai saphalaṃ dhanam | kathaṃ vai saphalā dārāḥ kathaṃ vai saphalaṃ śrutam ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai Devarṣi, bagaimana Veda benar-benar berbuah? Bagaimana harta menjadi bererti? Bagaimana seorang isteri (dan kehidupan berumah tangga) dianggap berbuah? Dan bagaimana ilmu—apa yang didengar dan dipelajari—menjadi berbuah?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-centered inquiry: sacred knowledge, wealth, marriage, and learning are not valuable merely by possession; they become “fruitful” only when aligned with righteous conduct and used for proper ends—self-discipline, duty, and the welfare of others.
Yudhiṣṭhira, seeking clarity on practical dharma, asks a sage-like interlocutor how four pillars of life—Vedic knowledge, wealth, marital partnership, and learning—should be understood as truly successful, i.e., producing their intended moral and social results.