Shloka 13
Rājapurohita-lakṣaṇa and Purūravas–Vāyu Saṃvāda
Varṇa, Sovereignty, and Abhaya-dāna
यदि स्वर्ग परं स्थान स्वधर्म परिमार्गसि । यत् किज्चिज्जयसे भूमिं ब्राह्मणाय निवेदय,यदि तुम स्वधर्म-पालनके फलस्वरूप स्वर्गलोकमें उत्तम स्थानकी खोज कर रहे हो (चाहते हो) तो जितनी भूमिपर तुम विजय प्राप्त करो, वह सब शास्त्र और सदाचारसे सम्पन्न, धर्मज्ञ, तपस्वी तथा स्वधर्मसे संतुष्ट ब्राह्मणको पुरोहित बनाकर सौंप दो, जो कि धनोपार्जनमें आसक्त न हो
yadi svargaḥ paraṁ sthānaṁ svadharma-parimārgasi | yat kiñcij jayase bhūmiṁ brāhmaṇāya nivedaya ||
Aila said: “If, by following your own dharma, you are seeking the highest station in heaven, then whatever land you conquer, dedicate it to a Brahmin—one grounded in scripture and good conduct, a knower of dharma, austere, content with his own duty, and not attached to the pursuit of wealth—appointing him as your priest and entrusting that land to him.”
ऐल उवाच
Educational Q&A
Heavenly reward is linked not to conquest itself but to dharmic restraint and righteous redistribution: a ruler should dedicate gains—especially conquered land—to a worthy, non-greedy, dharma-knowing Brahmin, aligning power with ethical stewardship.
Aila addresses a ruler/warrior-minded listener and sets a conditional instruction: if the listener’s aim is the highest heavenly state through svadharma, then the proper response to victory is to consecrate the conquered territory by entrusting it to a qualified Brahmin (as priestly authority), rather than hoarding it for personal enrichment.