Shloka 28
धन-राजधर्म संवादः
Discourse on Wealth and Royal Duty
यदि राजाके लिये दूसरेके धनका अपहरण करना उचित नहीं है, तो वह धर्मका अनुष्ठान कैसे कर सकता है? वेदशास्त्रोंमें भी विद्वानोंने राजाके लिये यही निर्णय दिया है कि *राजा प्रतिदिन वेदोंका स्वाध्याय करे, विद्वान् बने, सब प्रकारसे संग्रह करके धन ले आवे और यत्नपूर्वक यज्ञका अनुष्ठान करे! ।।
arjuna uvāca | yadi rājake liye dūsareke dhan kā apaharaṇa karanā ucita nahīṁ hai, to vaha dharmakā anuṣṭhāna kaise kara sakatā hai? vedaśāstroṁ meṁ bhī vidvānōṁ ne rājake liye yahī nirṇaya diyā hai ki rājā pratidina vedōṁ kā svādhyāya kare, vidvān bane, sab prakār se saṁgraha karke dhana le āve aura yatnapūrvaka yajñakā anuṣṭhāna kare || drohād devair avāptāni divi sthānāni sarvaśaḥ | drohāt kim anyaj jñātīnāṁ gṛddhyante yena devatāḥ ||
Arjuna said: “If it is not proper for a king to seize another person’s wealth, then how can he perform the duties of dharma that depend upon resources? Even the Vedas and śāstras, as interpreted by the learned, lay down for a king that he should study the Vedas daily, become truly learned, gather wealth by every means, and diligently perform sacrifices. Indeed, it is said that the gods obtained all their stations in heaven through ‘druha’—treachery against their own kin. And what else is that very act by which the gods become eager for the wealth or sovereignty of their relatives, if not betrayal of one’s own kinsmen?”
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage probes a tension in rājadharma: a king is expected to uphold dharma and sponsor yajñas, which require wealth, yet seizing others’ wealth appears unethical. It further critiques the idea that even divine models of gaining power may involve morally troubling acts like betrayal of kin, urging scrutiny of ends-versus-means justifications.
Arjuna raises a pointed question about the legitimacy of royal revenue-collection and the moral cost of acquiring resources for religious and state duties. He cites scriptural prescriptions for a king’s learning and sacrificial obligations, then invokes a provocative example about the gods attaining heavenly positions through ‘droha’ against relatives, challenging simplistic appeals to precedent.