Shloka 5

Adhyāya 33: Antarvedī-Samāgama, Arghya-Nirṇaya, and Śiśupāla’s Objection

Devanagari script

अवर्ष चातिवर्ष च व्याधिपावकमूर्च्छनम्‌ । सर्वमेतत्‌ तदा नासीद्‌ धर्मनित्ये युधिषछिरे,धर्मपरायण युधिष्ठिरके शासनकालमें अनावृष्टि, अतिवृष्टि, रोग-व्याधि तथा आग लगने आदि उपद्रवोंका नाम भी नहीं था

Transliteration

avarṣa cātivarṣa ca vyādhi-pāvaka-mūrcchanam | sarvam etat tadā nāsīd dharma-nitye yudhiṣṭhire ||

Translation

Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: Sa panahon ng paghahari ni Yudhiṣṭhira—na matatag sa dharma—wala ni pagbanggit man ng mga kapahamakan: walang tagtuyot, walang labis na pag-ulan, walang salot ng karamdaman, at walang pagkalat ng apoy.

Word by Word

अवर्षम्non-rain, drought

चand

अतिवर्षम्excessive rain, flood

चand

व्याधि-पावक-मूर्च्छनम्disease, fire, and swooning/epidemic-like affliction (as calamities)

सर्वम्all (this)

एतत्this

तदाthen, at that time

नnot

आसीत्was/existed

धर्म-नित्येin/under (one) constant in dharma

युधिष्ठिरेin Yudhiṣṭhira (i.e., during his rule)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Yudhiṣṭhira

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 a ruler’s steadfast commitment to dharma with the welfare of the realm: when governance is righteous and stable, society experiences harmony and is free from major afflictions like drought, floods, epidemics, and destructive fires.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes the conditions during Yudhiṣṭhira’s rule, emphasizing that under his dharma-centered शासन (reign), common disasters—scarcity of rain, excessive rain, disease, and conflagrations—were absent.