Shloka 3

Gālava’s Eastern Ascent with Garuḍa; Counsel on Kāla and Upāya (उद्योगपर्व, अध्याय ११०)

Devanagari script

अस्यां दिशि वरिष्ठायामुत्तरायां द्विजर्षभ । नासौम्यो नाविधेयात्मा नाधर्मो वसते जन:,द्विजश्रेष्ठ) इस गौरवशालिनी दिशामें ऐसे लोगोंका वास नहीं है, जो सौम्य स्वभावके न हों, जिन्होंने अपने मनको वशमें न किया हो तथा जो धर्मका पालन न करते हों

Transliteration

asyāṁ diśi variṣṭhāyām uttarāyāṁ dvijarṣabha | nāsaumyo nāvidheyātmā nādharmo vasate janaḥ ||

Translation

ఓ ద్విజశ్రేష్ఠా! ఈ అత్యుత్తమమైన, గౌరవప్రతిష్ఠలతో ప్రసిద్ధమైన ఉత్తర దిశలో సౌమ్య స్వభావం లేనివాడు, మనస్సును అదుపులో పెట్టని వాడు, ధర్మంలో నిలువని వాడు—అటువంటి జనుడు నివసించడు.

Word by Word

अस्याम्in this

दिशिdirection

वरिष्ठायाम्most excellent

उत्तरायाम्northern

द्विजर्षभO bull among the twice-born (best of Brahmins)

नnot

असौम्यःone who is not gentle/pleasant

नnor

अविधेयात्माone whose mind/self is not controllable (undisciplined)

नnor

अधर्मःunrighteousness/adharma

वसतेdwells

जनःpeople/person

Speaker

युपर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

य

युपर्ण (Yuparṇa)

dvijarṣabha (addressed Brahmin interlocutor)

uttarā diś (the northern direction)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

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 true excellence with dharma and inner discipline: a noble realm (symbolized by the northern quarter) is characterized by gentleness, self-mastery, and righteous conduct; harshness, uncontrolled mind, and adharma are portrayed as incompatible with such a place.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yuparṇa addresses a Brahmin interlocutor and praises the northern direction as a morally elevated region, asserting that people lacking gentleness, self-restraint, and dharmic conduct do not reside there—using ‘direction’ as a way to describe the ethical character of a land and its inhabitants.