Shloka 49

Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha

Devanagari script

इत्युक्ता सा ततः प्राह धर्मार्थो नौ समौ द्विज

Transliteration

ityuktā sā tataḥ prāha dharmārtho nau samau dvija

Translation

她听罢便答道：“婆罗门啊，于我们而言，达摩与阿尔塔同等重要。”

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• उक्ता: having been spoken to / addressed
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• ततः: then / thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• प्राह: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+अह्
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• धर्मार्थः: the purpose of dharma / dharma-purpose
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मार्थ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नौ: of us two
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: 1st, Genitive, Dual

• समौ: equal (both)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• द्विज: O brahmin (twice-born)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

नकुल उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nakula
• a woman (sā)
• dvija (a brāhmaṇa / twice-born)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a balanced ethical stance: dharma (moral duty) and artha (practical welfare) are treated as equally important guides for action, suggesting that righteousness and worldly responsibility must be weighed together rather than opposed.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Nakula’s narrated episode, after someone speaks to a woman, she responds to a brāhmaṇa, stating her position that dharma and artha are equal for them—framing the moral-practical principle that will shape the ensuing discussion or decision.