Shloka 24
Pṛthu Mahārāja’s Homecoming, Sacrificial Assembly, and Instruction on Devotional Kingship
य उद्धरेत्करं राजा प्रजा धर्मेष्वशिक्षयन् । प्रजानां शमलं भुङ्क्ते भगं च स्वं जहाति स: ॥ २४ ॥
ya uddharet karaṁ rājā prajā dharmeṣv aśikṣayan prajānāṁ śamalaṁ bhuṅkte bhagaṁ ca svaṁ jahāti saḥ
Any king who fails to teach the citizens their duties of varṇa and āśrama and merely exacts taxes and tolls must suffer for the people’s impiety, and he also forfeits his own fortune.
A king, governor or president should not take the opportunity to occupy his post without also discharging his duty. He must teach the people within the state how to observe the divisions of varṇa and āśrama. If a king neglects to give such instructions and is simply satisfied with levying taxes, then those who share in the collection — namely, all the government servants and the head of the state — are liable to share in the impious activities of the general masses. The laws of nature are very subtle. For example, if one eats in a place which is very sinful, he shares in the resultant reaction of the sinful activities performed there. (It is a Vedic system, therefore, for a householder to call brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas to eat at ceremonial performances in his house because the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas can immunize him from sinful activities. But it is not the duty of rigid brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas to accept invitations everywhere. There is, of course, no objection to taking part in feasts in which prasāda is distributed.) There are many subtle laws which are practically unknown to people in general, but the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very scientifically distributing all this Vedic knowledge for the benefit of the people of the world.
FAQs
It says such a king incurs the citizens’ sinful reactions and loses his own rightful fortune, because taxation is justified only when the ruler guides people in dharma.
While instructing his subjects on ideal governance, Pṛthu Mahārāja emphasized rajadharma: a ruler must uplift citizens spiritually and morally, not merely extract revenue.
Leaders and institutions should pair authority and resource collection with genuine welfare—education in values, accountability, and protection—otherwise they share responsibility for social decline.