Shloka 13
धन-राजधर्म संवादः
Discourse on Wealth and Royal Duty
धर्म संहरते तस्य धनं हरति यस्य सः । हियमाणे धने राजन् वयं कस्य क्षमेमहि
dharmaṁ saṁharate tasya dhanaṁ harati yasya saḥ | hīyamāṇe dhane rājan vayaṁ kasya kṣamemahi |
Arjuna says: “He who seizes a man’s wealth also destroys that man’s dharma; for livelihood and righteous conduct are sustained by one’s means. O King, if our wealth is being taken away, whom can we forgive—and how can forgiveness be expected of us?”
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links material security with the capacity to live dharmically: unjust seizure of wealth undermines a person’s ability to maintain duty, charity, and social obligations; therefore, expecting easy forgiveness from the victim is ethically unrealistic.
Arjuna addresses a king, arguing that taking away someone’s wealth is not a minor offense but an assault on their dharma itself; he uses this to question how forgiveness can be demanded when their resources are being stripped away.