Shloka 49

Kuberasaras-darśana (Bhīma beholds Kubera’s guarded lotus-lake) / कुबेरसरः-दर्शनम्

Devanagari script

निग्रहे प्रग्रहे सम्यग्‌ यदा राजा प्रवर्तते । तदा भवति लोकस्य मर्यादा सुव्यवस्थिता,जब राजा निग्रह और अनुग्रहमें ठीक तौरसे प्रवृत्त होता है, तभी लोककी मर्यादा सुरक्षित रहती है

Transliteration

nigrahe pragrahe samyag yadā rājā pravartate | tadā bhavati lokasya maryādā suvyavasthitā ||

Translation

Khi nhà vua hành xử đúng mực—biết lúc nào phải kiềm chế, lúc nào nên ban ân—thì ranh giới đạo lý và trật tự xã hội của muôn dân được thiết lập vững vàng, ngay thẳng.

Word by Word

निग्रहेin restraint/punishment

प्रग्रहेin favor/leniency (lit. holding back/support)

सम्यक्properly, rightly

यदाwhen

राजाthe king

प्रवर्ततेacts, proceeds, engages

तदाthen

भवतिbecomes, is

लोकस्यof the people/world

मर्यादाboundary, propriety, social order

सुव्यवस्थिताwell-established, well-ordered

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

rājā (king)

loka (the people/world)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler must balance punishment (nigraha) and favor/leniency (pragraha) with discernment; only then do dharma and social norms (maryādā) remain stable in society.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana delivers a general maxim on rājanīti (royal policy): the well-being and moral order of the populace depend on the king’s measured use of restraint and benevolence.