Shloka 24

राजधर्मः—राष्ट्ररक्षणं, दण्डनीतिः, हयग्रीवोपाख्यानम्

Royal Duty: Protection, Penal Policy, and the Hayagrīva Exemplum

Devanagari script

इस प्रकार श्रीमह्ाभारत शान्तिपर्वके अन्तर्गत राजधर्मानुशासनपर्वमें व्यासवाक्यविषयक चौबीसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ,सुखमेव हि दुःखान्तं कदाचिद्‌ दुःखत: सुखम्‌ | तस्मादेतद्‌ द्ववं जह्माद्‌ य इच्छेच्छाश्वतं सुखम्‌

Transliteration

sukham eva hi duḥkhāntaṃ kadācid duḥkhataḥ sukham | tasmād etad dvandvaṃ jahyād ya icchec chāśvataṃ sukham ||

Translation

کبھی خوشی ہی غم کا انجام بن جاتی ہے، اور کبھی غم ہی سے خوشی جنم لیتی ہے۔ پس جو دائمی بھلائی چاہے، اسے لذت و الم کے اس جوڑے (دُوَند) کو ترک کر کے دونوں میں یکساں ثابت قدم رہنا چاہیے۔

Word by Word

सुखम्happiness

एवindeed/only

हिfor/indeed

दुःखान्तम्ending in sorrow; sorrowful end

कदाचित्sometimes

दुःखतःfrom sorrow

सुखम्happiness

तस्मात्therefore/from that

एतत्this

द्वन्द्वम्pair of opposites; duality

जह्यात्should abandon

यःwho

इच्छेत्would desire/should wish

शाश्वतम्eternal/perpetual

सुखम्happiness

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Pleasure and pain are unstable and can transform into each other; therefore, the seeker of lasting good should relinquish attachment to these dualities and cultivate steadiness (equanimity).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana concludes a section within the Śānti Parva’s Rājadharmānuśāsana material, summarizing the ethical point that a ruler or aspirant should not be swayed by alternating happiness and sorrow.