Shloka 53
कुरुवंशप्रश्नः—दुःषन्तस्य राजधर्मवर्णनम्
Kuru Lineage Inquiry and the Portrait of King Duḥṣanta’s Rule
धर्मे चार्थे च कामे च मोक्षे च भरतर्षभ । यदिहास्ति तदन्यत्र यन्नेहास्ति न तत् क्वचित्,भरतश्रेष्ठ! धर्म, अर्थ, काम और मोक्षके सम्बन्धमें जो बात इस ग्रन्थमें है, वही अन्यत्र भी है। जो इसमें नहीं है, वह कहीं भी नहीं है
dharme cārthe ca kāme ca mokṣe ca bharatarṣabha | yad ihāsti tad anyatra yan nehāsti na tat kvacit ||
O pinakadakila sa angkan ng Bharata, anumang naririto tungkol sa dharma, artha, kāma, at mokṣa ay matatagpuan din sa iba; ngunit ang wala rito ay wala saanman.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts the Mahābhārata’s completeness regarding the four puruṣārthas—dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa—claiming that its teachings encompass all essential human aims; what is absent from it is not to be found elsewhere. Ethically, it elevates dharma as a guiding framework while acknowledging the full spectrum of human pursuits.
Vaiśampāyana, narrating the Mahābhārata to the listener addressed as ‘bharatarṣabha’ (traditionally King Janamejaya), pauses to characterize the epic itself—presenting it as an all-inclusive compendium of instruction and experience, not merely a story but a total guide to life’s aims.