Shloka 48

Adhyāya 33 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Post-Conflict Remorse and Inquiry on Āśrama Discipline (शोक-विमर्शः, आश्रम-जिज्ञासा)

Devanagari script

अवाप्त: क्षत्रधर्मस्ते राज्यं प्राप्तमकण्टकम्‌ । रक्षस्व धर्म कौन्तेय श्रेयान्‌ यः प्रेत्य भारत,कुन्तीकुमार! भरतनन्दन! तुमने क्षत्रियरर्मका पालन किया है और इस समय तुम्हें यह निष्कण्टक राज्य मिला है; अतः अब तुम उस धर्मकी ही रक्षा करो, जो मृत्युके पश्चात्‌ सबका कल्याण करनेवाला है

Transliteration

avāptaḥ kṣatradharmas te rājyaṃ prāptam akaṇṭakam | rakṣasva dharma kaunteya śreyān yaḥ pretya bhārata ||

Translation

วยาสกล่าวว่า “โอ กุนตีบุตร โอ ภารตะ! เจ้าได้บำเพ็ญกษัตริยธรรมครบถ้วน และได้ราชอาณาจักรที่ ‘ไร้หนาม’—ปราศจากอุปสรรคศัตรู—แล้ว ดังนั้นจงพิทักษ์ธรรมเถิด เพราะธรรมนี้เอง โอ ภารตะ เป็นคุณอันสูงสุด นำสวัสดิ์แม้หลังความตาย”

Word by Word

• {'avāptaḥ': 'attained, accomplished', 'kṣatra-dharmaḥ': 'the duty/law of the warrior-ruler (kṣatriya), including protection and just governance', 'te': 'by you / your', 'rājyam': 'kingdom, sovereignty', 'prāptam': 'obtained, received', 'akaṇṭakam': 'without thorns

• unobstructed, free from enemies/impediments', 'rakṣasva': 'protect, preserve (imperative)', 'dharma': 'righteous order

• just conduct', 'kaunteya': 'son of Kuntī (address to Yudhiṣṭhira/Pāṇḍava)', 'śreyān': 'better, superior, conducive to true welfare', 'yaḥ': 'which/that (referring to dharma)', 'pretya': 'after death

• in the hereafter', 'bhārata': 'O descendant of Bharata (address to Yudhiṣṭhira)'}

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Kaunteya (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Bhārata (descendant of Bharata)
• rājya (the kingdom)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even after achieving political success, a ruler’s highest obligation is to safeguard Dharma—just order and righteous conduct—because it yields the greatest welfare, including in the hereafter.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s counsel to the post-war king, Vyāsa addresses Yudhiṣṭhira: having fulfilled kṣatriya duty and gained an unobstructed kingdom, he must now preserve Dharma through righteous governance.