Shloka 56

Devanagari script

वृद्धिक्षयौ च विज्ञेयौ स्थानं च कुरुसत्तम | युधिष्ठिर! तुम इस मण्डलको अच्छी तरह जानो; क्योंकि राज्यकी रक्षाके संधि-विग्रह आदि छ: उपायोंका उचित उपभोग इन्हींके अधीन है। कुरुश्रेष्ठ! राजाको चाहिये कि वह अपनी वृद्धि, क्षय और स्थितिका सदा ही ज्ञान रखे

Transliteration

vṛddhikṣayau ca vijñeyau sthānaṃ ca kurusattama | yudhiṣṭhira! tvaṃ imaṃ maṇḍalaṃ suṣṭhu vijānīhi; yataḥ rājyasya rakṣaṇe sandhi-vigrahādayaḥ ṣaḍupāyāḥ samyagupabhogaḥ etad-adhīnaḥ | kurūśreṣṭha! rājñā nityaṃ svavṛddhi-kṣaya-sthiti-jñānaṃ kartavyam |

Translation

当明了，噢库鲁之最上者：何为增长，何为衰减，亦何为安固之位。尤提施提罗，当彻悟此政策之轮；因为护国之道，始于和与战等六策，其正当运用皆系于此。故而，噢库鲁之魁首，君王当恒常准确地知晓自身之兴盛、损耗与安定。

Word by Word

• वृद्धि: increase, prosperity
• वृद्धि: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृद्धि
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• क्षयौ: two: decline/loss (and another paired item by context)
• क्षयौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• विज्ञेयौ: to be known/understood (two items)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-ज्ञा
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual, Gerundive (future passive participle), -tavya/-anīya sense

• स्थानम्: position, stability, state
• स्थानम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• कुरु-सत्तम: O best of the Kurus
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरु + सत्तम
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

धघतयाट्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Kuru dynasty (as an epithet: Kurusattama/Kurūśreṣṭha)
• King (rājā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler must continually assess three realities—growth (vṛddhi), decline (kṣaya), and stable position (sthāna). Only with this clear self-knowledge can he correctly apply the six instruments of policy (ṣaḍupāya) such as peace (sandhi) and war (vigraha) to protect the kingdom.

What is happening in the narrative?

An elder adviser addresses Yudhiṣṭhira, instructing him in practical rajadharma: to understand the political ‘circle’ (maṇḍala) and to govern by informed judgment, using diplomatic and military options appropriately based on the kingdom’s current condition.