Shloka 39

Devanagari script

एवं राजोपनिषदं ययाति: स्माह नाहुष: । मनुष्यविषये युक्तो हन्ति शत्रूननुत्तमान्‌,नहुषपुत्र राजा ययातिने मानवमात्रके हितमें तत्पर हो इस राजोपनिषद्का वर्णन किया है। जो इसमें निष्ठा रखकर इसके अनुसार चलता है, वह बड़े-बड़े शत्रुओंका विनाश कर डालता है

Transliteration

evaṁ rājopaniṣadaṁ yayātiḥ smāha nāhuṣaḥ | manuṣyaviṣaye yukto hanti śatrūn anuttamān |

Translation

Vāmadeva berkata: “Demikianlah Raja Yayāti, putera Nahūṣa, mengisytiharkan ‘upaniṣad diraja’ ini—nasihat rahsia para raja—yang ditujukan demi kesejahteraan umat manusia. Sesiapa yang teguh berpegang padanya dan bertindak menurutnya akan memusnahkan bahkan musuh yang paling besar.”

Word by Word

एवम्thus

राजोपनिषदम्the royal secret teaching/counsel

ययातिःYayāti

स्मindeed/just (particle, marking past narration)

आहsaid

नाहुषःto Nahusha

मनुष्यविषयेin the sphere of men / regarding human affairs

युक्तःengaged, devoted, disciplined

हन्तिkills/destroys

शत्रून्enemies

अनुत्तमान्unsurpassed, very great

Speaker

वामदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāmadeva

Yayāti

Nahūṣa

rājopaniṣad (royal counsel/secret teaching)

śatru (enemies)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse praises a ‘royal secret teaching’ attributed to King Yayāti as being oriented toward human welfare; steadfast adherence to this counsel empowers a ruler (or practitioner of rājadharma) to overcome even formidable enemies—suggesting that ethical, well-aligned governance and disciplined conduct are themselves sources of strength.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāmadeva, as speaker, cites an authoritative precedent: King Yayāti (son of Nahūṣa) is said to have proclaimed this rājopaniṣad. The verse functions as a concluding commendation of that instruction, asserting its practical efficacy for those who follow it.