Shloka 6

Gārhasthya-Śreṣṭhatā and Kṣatriya-Daṇḍadhāraṇa

Householder Primacy and the Royal Duty of Punishment

Devanagari script

सो<यं चतुर्णामेतेषामाश्रमाणां दुराचर: । तं चराद्य विधिं पार्थ दुश्नरं दुर्बलेन्द्रिये:

Transliteration

so ’yaṁ caturṇām eteṣām āśramāṇāṁ durācaraḥ | taṁ carādya vidhiṁ pārtha duṣkaraṁ durbalendriyaiḥ, yudhiṣṭhira |

Translation

毗耶娑说道：“在这四种住期之中，家住者的戒行最难如法奉行。对于根器薄弱、诸根易被欲境夺取之人，践行家住之法（gṛhastha-dharma）尤为艰辛。故此，婆尔他——由提湿提罗啊——如今就承担并遵行这严峻而艰难的法则吧。”

Word by Word

• {'so ’yam': 'this indeed

• this very (one)', 'caturṇām': 'of the four', 'eteṣām': 'of these', 'āśramāṇām': 'of the āśramas

• stages/orders of life (brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, saṁnyāsa)', 'durācaraḥ': 'hard to practice

• difficult to carry out properly', 'taṁ': 'that (discipline/dharma)', 'cara': 'practice

• conduct yourself (imperative sense)', 'adya': 'now

• at this point', 'vidhim': 'rule

• ordinance (of dharma)', 'pārtha': 'son of Pṛthā

• an epithet of a Pāṇḍava (here used as an address)', 'duṣkaram': 'difficult

• arduous', 'durbalendriyaiḥ': 'by/for those with weak senses

• whose sense-control is fragile', 'yudhiṣṭhira': 'Yudhiṣṭhira (addressed directly)'}

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Pārtha
• catur-āśrama (the four āśramas)
• gṛhastha-āśrama (householder stage)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that among the four āśramas, the gṛhastha (householder) path is especially hard because it demands sustained sense-control while engaging with wealth, family, and social obligations; therefore one must consciously undertake its discipline as a serious dharmic practice.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira in Śānti Parva on dharma and the āśrama system, emphasizing the difficulty of properly living the householder stage and urging him to follow that demanding code despite its challenges.