Shloka 56

नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः

Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city

Devanagari script

वीर विक्रान्त धर्मज्ञ सत्यसंध महीपते

Transliteration

vīra vikrānta dharmajña satyasaṃdha mahīpate

Translation

ஓ வீரனே, பராக்கிரமனே, தர்மஞானியே, சத்தியநிஷ்டனே—ஓ மண்ணின் அரசனே!

Word by Word

वीरO hero

विक्रान्तvaliant, mighty (having advanced/stridden forth)

धर्मज्ञknower of dharma

सत्यसंधtrue to one’s promise, of truthful resolve

महीपतेO lord of the earth (king)

Speaker

बृहृदश्च उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bṛhadaśva

mahīpati (the king being addressed)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical ideal of kingship: true sovereignty is grounded not merely in power, but in dharma-knowledge and unwavering commitment to truth—virtues that legitimize authority and guide just action.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bṛhadaśva addresses a king with honorific epithets—heroic, valiant, dharma-knowing, and truth-bound—setting a respectful tone before delivering counsel or continuing the story, and framing the listener as worthy of moral instruction.