Shloka 34

धन-राजधर्म संवादः

Discourse on Wealth and Royal Duty

Devanagari script

अम्बरीषस्य मान्धातु: पृथिवी सा त्वयि स्थिता । सत्वां द्रव्यमयो यज्ञ: सम्प्राप्त: सर्वदक्षिण:

Transliteration

ambarīṣasya māndhātuḥ pṛthivī sā tvayi sthitā | sa tvāṁ dravyamayo yajñaḥ samprāptaḥ sarvadakṣiṇaḥ ||

Translation

Arjuna said: “That very earth which once lay under the sovereignty of kings such as Ambarīṣa and Māndhātṛ has now come under your control. Therefore, you have obtained the occasion to perform a material sacrifice—one endowed with every kind of sacrificial fee—by offering up all wealth as the dakṣiṇā.”

Word by Word

• {'ambarīṣasya': 'of Ambarīṣa (a renowned righteous king)', 'māndhātuḥ': 'of Māndhātṛ (a celebrated ancient emperor, descendant of Mandhātṛ line)', 'pṛthivī': 'the earth

• the kingdom/realm', 'sā': 'that (very same)', 'tvayi': 'in you

• under your authority', 'sthitā': 'situated

• resting', 'sa': 'therefore

• thus', 'tvām': 'for you

• to you', 'dravyamayaḥ': 'consisting of material wealth

• involving tangible offerings', 'yajñaḥ': 'sacrifice

• also a meritorious act', 'samprāptaḥ': 'has been attained

• has become available', 'sarva-dakṣiṇaḥ': 'having all (kinds of) dakṣiṇā

Speaker

अर्जुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Ambarīṣa
• Māndhātṛ
• Pṛthivī (Earth/kingdom)
• Yajña
• Dakṣiṇā

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Political power and the earth’s sovereignty are transient and pass from king to king; therefore, when one gains dominion, one should convert that fortune into dharmic merit through yajña and generous dakṣiṇā—ideally even to the point of offering all wealth for righteous ends.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna addresses the current ruler/recipient of counsel, noting that the same earth once ruled by famed ancient kings (Ambarīṣa and Māndhātṛ) has now come under his authority, and urges him to seize this moment to perform a grand, wealth-based sacrifice accompanied by complete sacrificial gifts.