Shloka 3
Adhyāya 39 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on attachment (saṅga) and relational restraint
शक्र उवाच केन शम्बर वृत्तेन स्वजात्यानधितिष्ठसि । श्रेष्ठ त्वां केन मन्यन्ते तद् वै प्रब्रूहि तत्त्वतः
śakra uvāca kena śambara vṛttena svajātyān adhitīṣṭhasi | śreṣṭha tvāṁ kena manyante tad vai prabrūhi tattvataḥ ||
Шакра сказал: «О Шамбара, каким поведением ты правишь своими? По какой причине они считают тебя первым среди них? Скажи мне это истинно и в точных подробностях».
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Leadership is grounded in vṛtta (personal conduct) and must be justifiable in truth (tattvataḥ). The verse frames authority as something earned by ethical behavior and recognized excellence, not merely by power.
Śakra (Indra) directly questions Śambara about the basis of his rule over his own community and asks why others consider him the best, demanding a truthful, precise explanation.