Shloka 33

राजधर्मः—प्रजापालनं दानयज्ञश्च

Royal Duty—Protection of Subjects, Generosity, and Sacrificial Discipline

Devanagari script

युधिछिर उवाच कि तात परमं स्वर्ग्यं का ततः प्रीतिरुत्तमा । कि ततः परमैश्चर्य ब्रूहि मे यदि पश्यसि

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: kiṃ tāta paramaṃ svargyaṃ kā tataḥ prītir uttamā | kiṃ tataḥ paramaiśvaryaṃ brūhi me yadi paśyasi ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai ayahanda, apakah jalan tertinggi yang membawa ke syurga? Apakah kegembiraan paling utama yang lahir daripadanya? Dan apakah kemakmuran terbesar yang melampaui itu? Jika ayahanda benar-benar melihat hakikatnya, beritahulah aku.”

Word by Word

• {'yudhiṣṭhira uvāca': 'Yudhiṣṭhira said', 'kim': 'what?', 'tāta': 'dear father

• revered elder (a respectful address)', 'paramam': 'supreme

• highest', 'svargyam': 'leading to heaven

• conducive to svarga', 'kā': 'which? what kind of?', 'tataḥ': 'from that

• beyond that', 'prītiḥ': 'joy

• gladness', 'uttamā': 'best

• highest', 'parama-aiśvaryam': 'supreme lordly prosperity

• highest excellence/sovereign fortune', 'brūhi': 'tell (me)', 'me': 'to me

• my', 'yadi': 'if', 'paśyasi': 'you see

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a graded ethical inquiry: (1) the supreme practice that leads to heaven, (2) the highest inner joy born of that practice, and (3) an even greater ‘aiśvarya’—suggesting that true excellence is not merely external reward but a higher good that surpasses heavenly merit, inviting reflection on dharma’s deeper fruits.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instruction-setting, Yudhiṣṭhira respectfully questions an elder teacher, asking for guidance on the best heaven-leading discipline, the finest satisfaction it yields, and what surpasses even those—preparing the ground for a discourse on values beyond mere reward.