Shloka 3

नारदेन दिव्यसभाः कथितुं प्रतिज्ञा

Nārada’s Prelude to Describing the Divine Assemblies

Devanagari script

राजभिर्यद्‌ यथा कार्य पुरा वै तन्न संशय: । यथान्यायोपनीतार्थ कृत॑ हेतुमदर्थवत्‌,इसमें संदेह नहीं कि प्राचीन कालके राजाओंने जो कार्य जैसे सम्पन्न किया, वह प्रत्येक न्यायोचित, सकारण और किसी विशेष प्रयोजनसे युक्त होता था

Transliteration

rājabhir yad yathā kāryaṃ purā vai tan na saṃśayaḥ | yathānyāyopanītārthaṃ kṛtaṃ hetumad arthavat ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira nói: “Không còn nghi ngờ gì nữa: mọi việc các bậc quân vương thời xưa đã làm, và cách họ thực hiện, đều đặt nền trên công lý—có lý do vững chắc nâng đỡ và hướng đến một mục đích xác định.”

Word by Word

राजभिःby kings

यत्whatever (that which)

यथाas, in whatever manner

कार्यंa deed, task, action

पुराformerly, in ancient times

वैindeed, surely

तत्that

नnot

संशयःdoubt

यथाas, according to

अन्यायjustice, propriety (nyāya)

उपनीतbrought, presented, introduced

अर्थःpurpose, matter, meaning

कृतःdone, made

हेतुमत्having a reason, with cause

अर्थवत्meaningful, purposeful

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

ancient kings (rājānaḥ purā)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Yudhiṣṭhira affirms a standard of rājadharma: royal action should be nyāya-based (just and procedurally proper), hetumat (supported by clear reasons), and arthavat (aimed at a definite, meaningful public purpose), rather than arbitrary or self-serving.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Sabha Parva context, Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on the conduct of earlier rulers, invoking the precedent of ancient kings to frame how a king ought to act—carefully, lawfully, and with purposeful intent—while deliberations about royal policy and conduct are underway.