Shloka 1

दुर्ग-निवेश-राजधर्मः | Fortified Capital and the King’s Residential Polity

Rājadharma

Devanagari script

अत-४-णर+ ३. सेवा करनेको सदा तैयार रहना

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | kathaṃvidhaṃ puraṃ rājā svayam āvastum arhati | kṛtaṃ vā kārayitvā vā tan me brūhi pitāmaha ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai Datuk, apakah jenis kota yang layak didiami sendiri oleh seorang raja? Patutkah baginda tinggal di ibu kota yang telah sedia ada, atau patutkah baginda membina sebuah kota baharu lalu menetap di sana? Mohon jelaskan kepadaku.”

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, 3, Singular, Parasmaipada

• कथम्: how
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम्

• विधम्: of what kind
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विध
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• पुरम्: city
• पुरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• स्वयम्: himself
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम्

• आवस्तुम्: to dwell/reside
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-वस्
• Form: Tumun (infinitive)

• अर्हति: is fit/ought
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह्
• Form: Present, 3, Singular, Parasmaipada

• कृतम्: made/built (already done)
• कृतम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Kta (past passive participle), Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• कारयित्वा: having caused (it) to be made
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (णिच्)
• Form: Ktva (absolutive/gerund), true

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• तत्: that (matter)
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• मे: to me
• मे: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Dative, Singular

• ब्रूहि: tell (me)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू
• Form: Imperative, 2, Singular, Parasmaipada

• पितामह: O grandsire
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Pitāmaha (Bhīṣma)
• pura (city/capital)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a key Rajadharma inquiry: a king’s residence is not merely personal comfort but a governance decision—choosing (or founding) a capital suited to rule, security, and the welfare of subjects.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira questions Bhīṣma (addressed as Pitāmaha) about the proper kind of city for royal residence and whether a king should live in an existing capital or establish a new one.