Shloka 9
तापती–संवरणोपाख्यानम्
The Tapatī–Saṃvaraṇa Episode: Meaning of “Tāpatya”
वेत्रकीयगृहे राजा नायं नयमिहास्थित: । उपायं तं॑ न कुरुते यत्नादपि स मन्दधी: । अनामयं जनस्यास्य येन स्यादद्य शाश्वतम्,वास्तवमें जो यहाँका राजा है, वह वेत्रकीयगृह नामक स्थानमें रहता है। परंतु वह न्यायके मार्गपर नहीं चलता। वह मन्दबुद्धि राजा यत्न करके भी ऐसा कोई उपाय नहीं करता, जिससे सदाके लिये प्रजाका संकट दूर हो जाय
vetrakīyagṛhe rājā nāyaṃ nayam ihāsthitaḥ | upāyaṃ taṃ na kurute yatnād api sa mandadhīḥ | anāmayaṃ janasya asya yena syād adya śāśvatam ||
The king resides in a place called Vetrakīya-gṛha, yet he does not stand upon the path of justice. Dull-witted, he does not—despite effort—devise any measure by which the people’s distress might be removed and their welfare secured in a lasting way. The Brahmin’s words frame kingship as a moral office: rule is judged not by residence or power, but by active commitment to nyāya and the enduring well-being of subjects.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kingship is accountable to dharma: a ruler must actively uphold nyāya/naya and implement practical remedies (upāya) that secure the lasting welfare (anāmaya) of the people; mere position or effort without right policy is ethically insufficient.
A Brahmin speaks critically about the reigning king, noting that although he lives at Vetrakīya-gṛha, he does not follow the path of justice and fails to take effective steps to remove the subjects’ ongoing distress and establish enduring well-being.