Shloka 15

Nārada’s Exempla of Tapas and Assurance to Dhṛtarāṣṭra (नारदोपदेशः—तपःसिद्ध्युदाहरणम्)

Devanagari script

एवं स राजा धर्मात्मा परीत्याश्रममण्डलम्‌ | वसु विश्राण्य तत्‌ सर्व पुनरायान्महीपति:

Transliteration

evaṁ sa rājā dharmātmā parītyāśramamaṇḍalam | vasu viśrāṇya tat sarvaṁ punar āyān mahīpatiḥ ||

Translation

于是，那位奉法而行的君王巡行诸林居精舍，尽数分施其财；事毕之后，这位大地之主又返回了持国王（Dhṛtarāṣṭra）的阿湿罗摩。此景昭示以法自律的王权：权势不在聚敛，而在恭敬巡访、慷慨供养清修之士。

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• राजा: king
• राजा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• धर्मात्मा: righteous-souled
• धर्मात्मा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्मात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• परीत्य: having gone around
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-इ
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Active

• आश्रम-मण्डलम्: the circle/area of hermitages
• आश्रम-मण्डलम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रममण्डल
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• वसु: wealth
• वसु: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसु
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• विश्राण्य: having distributed/given away
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-श्रै
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Active

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• सर्वम्: all
• सर्वम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• पुनः: again
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः

• आयात्: returned/came back
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-या
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• महीपतिः: the lord of the earth (king)
• महीपतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीपति
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• āśramamaṇḍala (circuit/region of hermitages)
• vasu (wealth)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharmic kingship: a ruler’s virtue is shown through humility toward ascetic communities and through generous redistribution of wealth, treating resources as a trust to be shared rather than possessed.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira visits the surrounding hermitages, gives away the wealth he has brought, and then returns to the hermitage where Dhṛtarāṣṭra is staying.