Shloka 14

Devanagari script

यथा सुमधुरौ दम्यौ सुदान्तौ साधुवाहिनौ | धुरमुद्यम्य वहतास्तथा वर्तेत वै नृप:,जैसे मनोहर आकृतिवाले, सुशिक्षित तथा अच्छी तरहसे बोझ ढोनेमें समर्थ नयी अवस्थाके दो बैल कंधोंपर भार उठाकर उसे सुन्दर ढंगसे ढोते हैं, उसी प्रकार राजाको भी अपने राज्यका भार अच्छी तरह सँभालना चाहिये

Transliteration

yathā sumadhurau damyau sudāntau sādhuvāhinau | dhuram udyamya vahatas tathā varteta vai nṛpaḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma berkata: “Seperti dua ekor lembu muda—elok rupanya, terlatih, benar-benar berdisiplin, dan mampu memikul kuk—mengangkat beban di bahu lalu membawanya dengan teguh dan baik, demikianlah juga seorang raja harus berkelakuan: ia mesti cekap menanggung dan mengurus beban kerajaannya.”

Word by Word

यथाjust as

सुमधुरौvery gentle/sweet (in disposition)

दम्यौto be tamed / tractable

सुदान्तौwell-trained, well-restrained

साधुwell, properly

वाहिनौbearing/carrying (well)

धुरम्yoke; burden

उद्यम्यhaving lifted/raised

वहतःcarrying, bearing

तथाso, in that manner

वर्तेतshould act/behave; should conduct himself

वैindeed

नृपःthe king

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

nṛpa (king)

dhura (yoke/burden)

two oxen (damyau)

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?

A ruler must be trained, self-controlled, and capable—like well-broken oxen—so that he can steadily carry the heavy responsibility of protecting and administering the kingdom.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on rājadharma (the duties of kings). Here he uses a practical agrarian metaphor—two disciplined oxen bearing a yoke—to illustrate how a king should manage the weight of statecraft.