Shloka 21
अध्याय १५२: लोभः पापस्य मूलम् — Greed as the Root of Wrongdoing
यथा ते मत्कृते क्षेमं लभन्ते ते तथा कुरु । प्रतिजानीहि चाद्रोहं ब्राह्मणानां नराधिप
yathā te matkṛte kṣemaṃ labhante te tathā kuru | pratijānīhi cādrohaṃ brāhmaṇānāṃ narādhipa ||
Śaunaka sagte: „Handle so, dass jene Brahmanen, für die ich spreche, Sicherheit und Wohlergehen erlangen. Und, o König, lege vor mir das Gelübde ab, dass du niemals wieder Feindschaft gegen Brahmanen hegen wirst.“
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s dharma includes ensuring the welfare (kṣema) of the vulnerable and upholding social-religious order by renouncing hostility (adroha) toward Brahmins; ethical governance is grounded in restraint and explicit commitment (pratijñā).
Śaunaka addresses a king and urges him to take concrete steps to secure the safety of Brahmins connected with Śaunaka’s concern, and to publicly vow that he will not act with enmity toward Brahmins again.