Shloka 3
Arjuna’s Account of Tapas and the Kirāta Test; Revelation of Maheśvara and the Grant of the Pāśupata-Astra
धृतिमान् देशकालज्ञ: सर्वधर्मविधानवित् | क्षत्रिय: क्षत्रियश्रेष्ठ प्रशास्ति पृथिवीं चिरम्,क्षत्रियश्रेष्ठ! जो क्षत्रिय धैर्यवान, देश-कालको समझनेवाला तथा सम्पूर्ण धर्मोके विधानका ज्ञाता है, वह दीर्घकालतक इस पृथ्वीका शासन कर सकता है
dhṛtimān deśa-kāla-jñaḥ sarva-dharma-vidhāna-vit | kṣatriyaḥ kṣatriya-śreṣṭha praśāsti pṛthivīṃ ciram ||
Sinabi ni Dhanada: “O pinakamahusay sa mga kṣatriya, ang kṣatriya na matatag, nakauunawa sa lugar at panahon, at ganap na nakaaalam sa mga tuntunin ng dharma, ay makapamamahala sa daigdig nang mahabang panahon.”
धनद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Enduring rule depends not merely on power but on character and discernment: firmness (dhṛti), contextual judgment (deśa-kāla-jñatā), and comprehensive knowledge of dharma’s ordinances. These qualities enable stable, ethical governance.
Dhanada addresses an exemplary kṣatriya and states a principle of kingship: a ruler who combines steadfastness, situational wisdom, and mastery of dharma can administer the earth successfully for a long time.