Shloka 5

Jarāsandha-nipātana, rāja-mokṣa, and rājasūya-sāhāyya-prārthanā

Jarāsandha’s fall, liberation of kings, and request for support

Devanagari script

त्रैलोक्ये क्षत्रधर्मो हि श्रेयान्‌ वै साधुचारिणाम्‌ | नान्यं धर्म प्रशंसन्ति ये च धर्मविदो जना:

Transliteration

trailokye kṣatradharmo hi śreyān vai sādhucāriṇām | nānyaṃ dharmaṃ praśaṃsanti ye ca dharmavido janāḥ ||

Translation

మూడు లోకాలలో సదాచారంగా నడిచే క్షత్రియులకు క్షత్రధర్మమే శ్రేష్ఠం. ధర్మాన్ని తెలిసినవారు క్షత్రియునికి మరే ధర్మాన్నీ శ్రేష్ఠమని ప్రశంసించరు.

Word by Word

• त्रैलोक्ये: in the three worlds
• त्रैलोक्ये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रैलोक्य
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• क्षत्रधर्मः: the Kshatriya-duty
• क्षत्रधर्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षत्रधर्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हि: indeed/for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• श्रेयान्: better/superior
• श्रेयान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेयस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वै: indeed/assuredly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• साधुचारिणाम्: of the good-conducted (persons)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साधुचारिन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अन्यम्: another/other
• अन्यम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• धर्मम्: duty/law
• धर्मम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रशंसन्ति: they praise
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-शंस्
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• ये: who/those who
• ये: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• धर्मविदः: knowers of dharma
• धर्मविदः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मविद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• जनाः: people/persons
• जनाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

जरासंध उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Jarāsandha
• trailokya (the three worlds)
• kṣatriya (warrior class)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse asserts a dharma-ethic of role-appropriateness: for a kṣatriya who seeks to act rightly, the highest good lies in faithfully performing kṣatriya-dharma, and true knowers of dharma do not recommend abandoning it for some other path.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Sabha Parva context, Jarāsandha is articulating a normative claim about royal/warrior duty—using the authority of ‘dharma-knowers’ to justify that a kṣatriya’s proper course is to adhere to the warrior-ruler’s obligations rather than adopt a different dharma.