Shloka 10
Adhyāya 166: Kṛtaghna-doṣa (कृतघ्नदोषः) — the fault of ingratitude and the limits of expiation
अदातृभ्यो हरेद् वित्तं विख्याप्य नृपति: सदा । तथैवाचरतो धर्मो नृपते: स्थादथाखिल:
adātṛbhyo hared vittaṃ vikhyāpya nṛpatiḥ sadā | tathaivācarato dharmo nṛpateḥ sthād athākhilaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “After publicly declaring the fault of those who possess wealth yet do not give, the king should always take their wealth for the sake of dharma. When a ruler acts in this manner, the entire merit of dharma accrues to him.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler may legitimately appropriate the wealth of those who hoard and refuse to give, provided he publicly identifies their fault and uses the wealth for dharma; such governance is presented as dharmically meritorious.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on rājadharma (the duties of kings) during Śānti Parva, he advises the king on a policy toward wealthy non-givers: expose their wrongdoing and redirect their wealth toward righteous purposes.