Shloka 58

कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira

Devanagari script

धारणाद्‌ धर्ममित्याहुर्धर्मों धारयते प्रजा: । यत्‌ स्यथाद्‌ धारणसंयुक्त स धर्म इति निश्चय:,धर्म ही प्रजाको धारण करता है और धारण करनेके कारण ही उसे धर्म कहते हैं। इसलिये जो धारण--प्राण-रक्षासे युक्त हो--जिसमें किसी भी जीवकी हिंसा न की जाती हो, वही धर्म है। ऐसा ही धर्म-शास्त्रोंका सिद्धान्त है

Transliteration

dhāraṇād dharmam ity āhur dharmo dhārayate prajāḥ | yat syād dhāraṇa-saṃyuktaṃ sa dharma iti niścayaḥ ||

Translation

ଧାରଣ ହେତୁ ଏହାକୁ ଧର୍ମ କୁହାଯାଏ; ଧର୍ମ ହିଁ ପ୍ରଜାକୁ ଧାରଣ କରେ। ତେଣୁ ଯାହା ‘ଧାରଣ’ ସହିତ ଯୁକ୍ତ—ଯାହା ପ୍ରାଣକୁ ଧାରଣ କରେ ଓ ଜୀବମାନଙ୍କୁ ରକ୍ଷା କରେ—ସେଇ ନିଶ୍ଚୟ ଧର୍ମ। ଏହା ଧର୍ମଶାସ୍ତ୍ରମାନଙ୍କର ସ୍ଥିର ସିଦ୍ଧାନ୍ତ।

Word by Word

• {'dhāraṇāt': 'from upholding, sustaining, supporting (ablative of dhāraṇā)', 'dharmaḥ': 'dharma

• that which sustains', 'iti': 'thus

• as said', 'āhuḥ': 'they say

• they declare', 'dhārayate': 'upholds, supports, sustains', 'prajāḥ': 'creatures

• people', 'yat': 'whatever

• that which', 'syāt': 'may be

• is (optative/possibility sense)', 'dhāraṇa-saṃyuktam': 'connected with sustaining/upholding

• conducive to preservation (especially of life)', 'saḥ': 'that', 'niścayaḥ': 'certainty

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyudeva (the Wind-god)
• prajāḥ (the people/creatures)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is defined by its function of ‘upholding’—it sustains society and living beings. Actions and principles that preserve and support life are affirmed as dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva speaks as an authority figure, offering a dharma-śāstra style definition of dharma to guide ethical judgment amid the pressures of conflict and decision-making.