Shloka 12
Nakula’s Counsel on Yajña, Dāna, and Tyāga (नकुलोपदेशः—यज्ञदानत्यागविचारः)
आश्रमांस्तुलया सर्वान् धृतानाहुर्मनीषिण: । एकततश्च त्रयो राजन् गृहस्थाश्रम एकत:
āśramāṁs tulayā sarvān dhṛtān āhur manīṣiṇaḥ | ekataś ca trayo rājan gṛhasthāśrama ekataḥ ||
نکُل نے کہا—“اے راجن! داناؤں کا کہنا ہے کہ ایک بار چاروں آشرموں کو تمیز کی ترازو میں تولا گیا؛ ایک پلڑے میں باقی تین آشرم تھے اور دوسرے پلڑے میں اکیلا گِرہستھ آشرم تھا۔”
नकुल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates the gṛhastha (householder) āśrama as foundational: when the four life-orders are evaluated, the householder’s role—supporting society, ritual, charity, and the other āśramas—can outweigh the combined merit of the remaining three.
Nakula addresses a king and offers counsel framed as a traditional maxim: sages once ‘weighed’ the āśramas and found the householder order uniquely weighty. The statement functions as encouragement toward responsible worldly duty rather than withdrawal.