Shloka 43
अध्याय २९ — वासुदेव–संजय संवादः
Karma, Varṇa-Dharma, and the Ethics of Governance
सन्त्येव मे ब्राह्मणेभ्य: कृतानि भावीन्यथो नो बत वर्तयन्ति । तान् पश्यामि युक्तरूपांस्तथैव तामेव सिद्धि श्रावयेथा नृपं तम्,राजा दुर्योधनसे कहना, मैंने कुछ ब्राह्मणोंके लिये वार्षिक जीविका-वृत्तियाँ नियत कर रखी थीं, किंतु खेद है कि तुम्हारे कर्मचारीगण उन्हें ठीकसे नहीं चला रहे हैं। मैं उन ब्राह्मणोंको पुनः पूर्ववत् उन्हीं वृत्तियोंसे युता देखना चाहता हूँ। तुम किसी दूतके द्वारा मुझे यह समाचार सुना दो कि उन वृत्तियोंका अब यथावत्रूपसे पालन होने लगा है
santy eva me brāhmaṇebhyaḥ kṛtāni bhāvīny atho no bata vartayanti | tān paśyāmi yukta-rūpāṁs tathaiva tām eva siddhiṁ śrāvayethā nṛpaṁ tam ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Indeed, I had arranged continuing annual sustenance for certain brāhmaṇas; yet, alas, it is not being properly carried out. I wish to see those brāhmaṇas once again provided for in the same fitting manner as before. Therefore, have that king informed—through a messenger—that those endowments are now being maintained exactly as they should be.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s dharma includes ensuring that promised support and charitable endowments are actually implemented. Ethical governance is not only making grants but also supervising their faithful execution, especially when the welfare of dependents (here, brāhmaṇas) is involved.
Yudhiṣṭhira refers to recurring provisions he had established for certain brāhmaṇas. He laments that the arrangement is not being properly maintained and instructs that the concerned king be informed—via a messenger—that the provisions should be restored and duly carried out.