Shloka 23

कृपवाक्यं तथा नीत्युपदेशः

Kṛpa’s Counsel and a Discourse on Statecraft

Devanagari script

गुणवन्ति च पेयानि भोज्यानि रसवन्ति च । तत्र देशे भविष्यन्ति यत्र राजा युधिष्ठिर:,“जिस देशमें राजा युधिष्ठिर होंगे, वहाँ गुणकारी पेय और सरस भोज्य पदार्थ सुलभ होंगे

Transliteration

guṇavanti ca peyāni bhojyāni rasavanti ca | tatra deśe bhaviṣyanti yatra rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana berkata: Di negeri tempat Raja Yudhiṣṭhira bersemayam, minuman yang berkhasiat dan makanan yang lazat akan didapati dengan melimpah—tanda bertuah bahawa pemerintahan berlandaskan dharma membawa kesejahteraan dan kemakmuran kepada rakyat.

Word by Word

गुणवन्तिpossessing good qualities, beneficial

चand

पेयानिdrinkables, beverages

भोज्यानिedibles, foods fit to be eaten

रसवन्तिtasty, full of flavor/juice

चand

तत्रthere, in that place

देशेin the country/region

भविष्यन्तिwill be, will exist/occur

यत्रwhere

राजाking

युधिष्ठिरःYudhiṣṭhira

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Yudhiṣṭhira

deśa (land/region)

peyāni (drinks)

bhojyāni (foods)

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?

The verse links dharmic kingship with public welfare: where a righteous ruler like Yudhiṣṭhira is present, the land naturally becomes prosperous, providing wholesome drinks and nourishing, tasty food—symbolizing abundance and well-being under ethical governance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes an auspicious condition of the region associated with Yudhiṣṭhira: the availability of quality beverages and flavorful foods. It functions as a narrative marker of good fortune and the beneficial influence of Yudhiṣṭhira’s presence and rule.