Shloka 104

Adhyaya 32: Saṃjaya’s Return, Audience with Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Ethical Admonition

Devanagari script

य:ः काममन्यू प्रजहाति राजा पात्रे प्रतिष्ठापयते धनं च । विशेषविच्छुतवान्‌ क्षिप्रकारी त॑ सर्वलोक: कुरुते प्रमाणम्‌

Transliteration

yaḥ kāma-manyū prajahāti rājā pātre pratiṣṭhāpayate dhanaṃ ca | viśeṣa-vicchutavān kṣiprakārī taṃ sarvalokaḥ kurute pramāṇam ||

Translation

جو بادشاہ خواہش اور غضب کو ترک کرے، مال کو اہل لوگوں کے سپرد کرے، صاحبِ تمیز، شاستروں کا جاننے والا اور فرض کی ادائیگی میں تیز ہو—تمام لوگ اس کے کردار و گفتار کو معیار و سند مانتے ہیں۔

Word by Word

• {'yaḥ': 'who (he who)', 'kāma': 'desire, craving (especially self-serving desire)', 'manyu': 'anger, wrath', 'prajahāti': 'abandons, gives up completely', 'rājā': 'king, ruler', 'pātra': 'a worthy person

• a fit recipient (of gifts, trust, office)', 'pratiṣṭhāpayate': 'places, establishes, entrusts (properly allocates)', 'dhanam': 'wealth, resources', 'ca': 'and', 'viśeṣa': 'distinction, discernment, expertise', 'vicchutavān': 'endowed with discernment/skill

• possessing discriminative insight', 'kṣiprakārī': 'one who acts quickly

• prompt in action', 'tam': 'him', 'sarvalokaḥ': 'all people

• the whole world', 'kurute': 'makes, regards, treats as', 'pramāṇam': 'authority, standard, reliable measure (normative proof)'}

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vidura
• rājā (the king/ruler)
• sarvaloka (the people/world)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler becomes trustworthy and authoritative through self-mastery (renouncing desire and anger), ethical stewardship of wealth (supporting worthy recipients), discernment, learning, and prompt performance of duty; such conduct naturally earns universal confidence.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vidura’s counsel during the Udyoga Parva, he describes the qualities of an ideal king. He explains why a disciplined, discerning, and duty-focused ruler—who allocates resources to the deserving—comes to be accepted by society as a reliable standard (pramāṇa).