Shloka 48
अध्याय ३३ — कर्म, दैव, हठ, स्वभाव और पुरुषार्थ पर द्रौपदी का उपदेश
Draupadī on Action, Fate, and Human Effort
धर्ममूलं जगद् राजन् नान्यद् धर्माद् विशिष्यते । धर्मश्चार्थेन महता शक्यो राजन् निषेवितुम्,“महाराज! इस जगत्का मूल कारण धर्म ही है। इस जगतमें धर्मसे बढ़कर दूसरी कोई वस्तु नहीं है। उस धर्मका अनुष्ठान भी महान् धनसे ही हो सकता है
dharma-mūlaṃ jagad rājan nānyad dharmād viśiṣyate | dharmaś cārthena mahatā śakyo rājan niṣevitum ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana nói: “Tâu Đại vương, thế gian này lấy dharma làm gốc; trong đời này không gì vượt hơn dharma. Và chính dharma ấy—việc thực hành và gìn giữ bền bỉ—chỉ có thể theo đuổi đúng đắn, tâu Đại vương, khi có của cải lớn lao.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts the supremacy of dharma as the foundation of the world, while also stressing a pragmatic point: sustained religious and ethical duties often require artha (resources). In a royal context, wealth is not praised for its own sake but as an enabling support for dharmic governance, charity, rites, protection, and social welfare.
Vaiśaṃpāyana, as narrator, addresses a king and frames a teaching about the hierarchy and interdependence of values: dharma is highest, yet its effective practice in society—especially by rulers—depends on material means. The statement functions as counsel on how a king should understand and deploy wealth in service of righteousness.