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

কৃষ্ণ বললেন—সে নিজেকে ‘প্রধান পুরুষ’ বলে ধরে নিয়ে মস্তকাভিষিক্ত রাজাকেও বলপূর্বক ধরে নিয়ে যায়। বিধিপূর্বক অভিষিক্ত এমন রাজাদের মধ্যে আমরা কোথাও এমন একজনকেও দেখিনি, যার কাছ থেকে সে ‘ভাগ’ আদায় করেনি—তাকে বন্দী করে খাজনার মতো করে রেখেছে।

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.