Srimad Bhagavatam — Prathama Skandha, Shloka 32
The Birth of Mahārāja Parīkṣit and Prophecies of His Greatness
यक्ष्यमाणोऽश्वमेधेन ज्ञातिद्रोहजिहासया । राजा लब्धधनो दध्यौ नान्यत्र करदण्डयो: ॥ ३२ ॥
yakṣyamāṇo ’śvamedhena jñāti-droha-jihāsayā rājā labdha-dhano dadhyau nānyatra kara-daṇḍayoḥ
Just at this time, King Yudhiṣṭhira was considering performing a horse sacrifice to get freed from sins incurred from fighting with kinsmen. But he became anxious to get some wealth, for there were no surplus funds outside of fines and tax collection.
As the brāhmaṇas and vipras had a right to be subsidized by the state, the state executive head had the right to collect taxes and fines from the citizens. After the Battle of Kurukṣetra the state treasury was exhausted, and therefore there was no surplus fund except the fund from tax collection and fines. Such funds were sufficient only for the state budget, and having no excess fund, the King was anxious to get more wealth in some other way in order to perform the horse sacrifice. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira wanted to perform this sacrifice under the instruction of Bhīṣmadeva.
FAQs
Because he wished to nullify the moral burden of harming his own relatives in the Kurukṣetra war, and the Aśvamedha was undertaken as an act of expiation and restoration of righteous rule.
This verse presents kara (taxation) and daṇḍa (penalty) as the primary instruments of governance and state maintenance, to be applied as part of rājadhrama for sustaining order and funding dharmic duties such as yajña.
When one recognizes harm done to others, the teaching is to accept responsibility and take concrete corrective action—seeking purification through sincere remorse, restitution, and responsible duty rather than denial or escapism.