Shloka 47
राजवृत्त-रक्षा-प्रणिधि-षाड्गुण्योपदेशः
Royal Conduct, Protection, Intelligence, and Policy Measures
श्रियं ददाति कस्मैचित् कस्माच्चिदपकर्षति । तदा वैश्रवणो राजा लोके भवति भूमिप:,जब राजा उपकारी पुरुषोंको धनरूपी जलकी धाराओंसे तृप्त करता है और अपकार करनेवाले दुष्टोंके नाना प्रकारके रत्नोंको छीन लेता है, किसी राज्यहितैषीको धन देता है तो किसी (राज्यविद्रोही) के धनका अपहरण कर लेता है, उस समय वह पृथिवीपालक नरेश इस संसारमें कुबेर समझा जाता है
śriyaṃ dadāti kasmaicit kasmāccid apakarṣati | tadā vaiśravaṇo rājā loke bhavati bhūmipaḥ ||
Vasumanā said: A king grants prosperity to some and withdraws it from others. When a ruler satisfies helpful men with streams of wealth, and confiscates the many treasures of harmful wrongdoers—giving resources to those devoted to the kingdom’s welfare and seizing the wealth of those who rebel against it—then that protector of the earth is regarded in the world as Vaiśravaṇa (Kubera) himself. The ethical point is that royal generosity must be paired with just restraint: rewarding service to the common good and curbing predation that threatens the realm.
वसुमना उवाच
Educational Q&A
A righteous king must manage wealth as a moral instrument: he should reward those who benefit the realm and justly deprive those who harm it. Proper redistribution and confiscation, aligned with public welfare, makes the king ‘like Kubera’—a source and regulator of prosperity.
Vasumanā describes an ideal ruler’s conduct: the king gives prosperity to loyal, helpful subjects and removes wealth from malicious or rebellious persons. This balanced governance—generosity plus enforcement—earns the king the reputation of being like Vaiśravaṇa (Kubera), the archetypal lord of riches.