Shloka 58

कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira

Devanagari script

धारणाद्‌ धर्ममित्याहुर्धर्मों धारयते प्रजा: । यत्‌ स्यथाद्‌ धारणसंयुक्त स धर्म इति निश्चय:,धर्म ही प्रजाको धारण करता है और धारण करनेके कारण ही उसे धर्म कहते हैं। इसलिये जो धारण--प्राण-रक्षासे युक्त हो--जिसमें किसी भी जीवकी हिंसा न की जाती हो, वही धर्म है। ऐसा ही धर्म-शास्त्रोंका सिद्धान्त है

Transliteration

dhāraṇād dharmam ity āhur dharmo dhārayate prajāḥ | yat syād dhāraṇa-saṃyuktaṃ sa dharma iti niścayaḥ ||

Translation

Sinasabi nilang tinatawag itong dharma sapagkat ito ang nagtataguyod. Ang dharma ang nagtataguyod sa mga tao. Kaya’t anumang kaugnay ng “pagtataguyod”—yaong nagpapanatili ng buhay at nag-iingat sa mga nilalang—ay tiyak na dharma. Ito ang matibay na pasya ng mga dharma-śāstra.

Word by Word

• {'dhāraṇāt': 'from upholding, sustaining, supporting (ablative of dhāraṇā)', 'dharmaḥ': 'dharma

• that which sustains', 'iti': 'thus

• as said', 'āhuḥ': 'they say

• they declare', 'dhārayate': 'upholds, supports, sustains', 'prajāḥ': 'creatures

• people', 'yat': 'whatever

• that which', 'syāt': 'may be

• is (optative/possibility sense)', 'dhāraṇa-saṃyuktam': 'connected with sustaining/upholding

• conducive to preservation (especially of life)', 'saḥ': 'that', 'niścayaḥ': 'certainty

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyudeva (the Wind-god)
• prajāḥ (the people/creatures)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is defined by its function of ‘upholding’—it sustains society and living beings. Actions and principles that preserve and support life are affirmed as dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva speaks as an authority figure, offering a dharma-śāstra style definition of dharma to guide ethical judgment amid the pressures of conflict and decision-making.