Shloka 9

सुभद्राहरणम्

Subhadrā-haraṇa: Arjuna’s Taking of Subhadrā and the Dvārakā Assembly’s Response

Devanagari script

अरक्षितारं राजानं बलिषड्भागहारिणम्‌ | तमाहु: सर्वलोकस्य समग्र पापचारिणम्‌,“जो राजा प्रजाकी आयका छठा भाग करके रूपमें वसूल करता है, किंतु प्रजाकी रक्षाकी कोई व्यवस्था नहीं करता, उसे सम्पूर्ण लोकोंमें पूर्ण पापाचारी कहा गया है

Transliteration

arakṣitāraṁ rājānaṁ baliṣaḍbhāgahāriṇam | tam āhuḥ sarvalokasya samagra-pāpācāriṇam ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “A king who does not protect his subjects, yet takes the sixth share as tax/tribute, is declared to be a complete wrongdoer—sinful in the eyes of all the world.”

Word by Word

अरक्षितारम्an unprotector (one who does not protect)

राजानम्king

बलिषड्भागहारिणम्one who takes the sixth share as tax/tribute

तम्him/that (king)

आहुःthey say/call

सर्वलोकस्यof the whole world / of all people

समग्रपापचारिणम्a complete/utter evil-doer

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

rājā (king)

bali (tax/tribute)

Ṣ

ṣaḍbhāga (one-sixth share)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Royal revenue is morally justified only when paired with royal protection. A ruler who collects the traditional one-sixth share but fails to safeguard the people violates rājadharma and is condemned as thoroughly sinful.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana states a normative judgment about kingship: he characterizes a non-protecting yet tax-collecting king as blameworthy before all people, emphasizing the reciprocal duty underlying taxation and governance.