Shloka 20

Chapter 15: Counsel on Initiative vs. Renunciation in the Rajasuya Project (सभापर्व, अध्याय १५)

Devanagari script

मूर्थाभिषिक्त नृपतिं प्रधानपुरुषो बलात्‌ | आदत्ते न च नो दृष्टो5 भाग: पुरुषत: क्वचित्‌,आजकल वह प्रधान पुरुष बनकर मूर्धाभिषिक्त राजाको बलपूर्वक बंदी बना लेता है। जिनका विधि-पूर्वक राज्यपर अभिषेक हुआ है, ऐसे पुरुषोंमेंसे कहीं किसी एकको भी हमने ऐसा नहीं देखा, जिसे उसने बलिका भाग न बना लिया हो--कैदमें न डाल रखा हो

Transliteration

mūrdhābhiṣiktaṁ nṛpatiṁ pradhāna-puruṣo balāt | ādatte na ca no dṛṣṭo bhāgaḥ puruṣataḥ kvacit ||

Translation

কৃষ্ণই ক’লে—সি নিজকে ‘প্ৰধান পুৰুষ’ বুলি ধৰি, মূৰ্ধাভিষিক্ত ৰজাকো বলপূৰ্বক ধৰি লৈ যায়। বিধিপূৰ্বক অভিষিক্ত এনে ৰজাসকলৰ মাজত, যাৰ পৰা সি ‘ভাগ’ নলয়—এনে এজনকো আমি ক’তো দেখা নাই; সিহঁতক বন্দী কৰি খাজনাৰ দৰে অধীনত ৰাখে।

Word by Word

• {'mūrdhābhiṣikta': 'duly anointed

• formally consecrated (as king)', 'nṛpati': 'king

• ruler', 'pradhāna-puruṣa': 'chief person

• paramount leader (often implying a presumptuous overlord)', 'balāt': 'by force

• forcibly', 'ādatte': 'takes

• appropriates', 'na ca': 'and not

• nor', 'naḥ': 'by us

• for us', 'dṛṣṭaḥ': 'seen

• observed', 'bhāga': 'share

• levy/tribute (here, the ‘share’ taken from kings—i.e., subjugation/tribute)', 'puruṣataḥ': 'from a man/person

• from among men (here: from among such kings)', 'kvacit': 'anywhere

Speaker

कृष्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa
• anointed kings (mūrdhābhiṣikta nṛpati)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Legitimate kingship rests on lawful consecration and righteous conduct; a self-appointed overlord who uses force to seize anointed rulers and extract ‘shares’ (tribute through captivity) violates dharma and undermines political legitimacy.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kṛṣṇa describes a powerful figure who, acting as a paramount ruler, forcibly subjugates consecrated kings—taking them as captives and compelling tribute—highlighting the pattern of coercive domination rather than lawful sovereignty.