Shloka 14

Nala’s Embassy to Damayantī and the Gods’ Proposal (नलस्य दूतत्वं देवप्रस्तावश्च)

Devanagari script

क्षात्रं धर्म महाराज त्वमवेक्षितुमहसि । न हि धर्मो महाराज क्षत्रियस्यथ वनाश्रय:,“महाराज! आप क्षत्रियरधर्मकी ओर तो देखिये। इस प्रकार वनमें रहना कदापि क्षत्रियोंका धर्म नहीं है

Transliteration

kṣātraṃ dharma mahārāja tvam avekṣitum arhasi | na hi dharmo mahārāja kṣatriyasyātha vanāśrayaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: “Muôn tâu Đại vương, ngài phải xét đến dharma của hàng chiến sĩ. Bởi lẽ, muôn tâu Đại vương, nương náu nơi rừng thẳm—sống đời lâm cư—không phải là dharma của một kṣatriya.”

Word by Word

क्षात्रम्the kshatriya-duty / royal duty

धर्मम्dharma, duty

महाराजO great king

त्वम्you

अवेक्षितुम्to look at, to consider

अर्हसिyou ought / you are fit

नnot

हिindeed, for

धर्मःdharma, duty

महाराजO great king

क्षत्रियस्यof a kshatriya

अथthen / now / indeed (here: emphatic)

वनाश्रयःresorting to the forest / forest-dwelling

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Mahārāja (addressed king)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse asserts varṇa-appropriate duty: a kṣatriya should uphold the warrior-royal code and not adopt forest-renunciation as a default path, especially when responsibilities of protection and governance remain.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator Vaiśampāyana addresses a king and urges him to reflect on kṣatriya-dharma, criticizing the idea of remaining in the forest as inconsistent with a warrior’s rightful obligations.