Shloka 41

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

Devanagari script

तमभिप्रेक्ष्य धर्मात्मा सम्प्राप्तं धर्मचारिणम्‌ । शास्त्रवन्मधुपर्केण पूजयामास धर्मराट्‌,धर्मात्मा धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरने धर्मानुष्ठान करनेवाले उन महात्माको आया देख शास्त्रीय विधिके अनुसार मधुपर्कद्वारा उनका पूजन किया

Transliteration

tam abhiprekṣya dharmātmā samprāptaṁ dharmacāriṇam | śāstravan madhuparkeṇa pūjayāmāsa dharmarāṭ ||

Translation

Thấy bậc hiền nhân sống theo dharma đã đến, vua Yudhiṣṭhira—người một lòng phụng trì dharma—liền kính lễ theo đúng pháp điển, dâng madhuparka để tôn vinh vị khách đức hạnh.

Word by Word

तम्him

अभिप्रेक्ष्यhaving seen / having looked at

धर्मात्माthe righteous-souled one

सम्प्राप्तम्arrived / come

धर्मचारिणम्one who practices dharma

शास्त्रवत्according to scripture / as enjoined

मधुपर्केणwith madhuparka (honey-mixture offering)

पूजयामासhonored / worshipped

धर्मराट्the king of dharma (Yudhishthira)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmarāja, Dharmarāṭ)

madhuparka

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A righteous ruler upholds dharma by honouring virtuous guests according to śāstric procedure; ethical kingship is shown through disciplined hospitality and reverence for dharma-practitioners.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Yudhiṣṭhira sees a dharma-observing person arrive and formally receives him with the traditional madhuparka offering, following scriptural rules of guest-honour.