Shloka 57
कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः
Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma
संचयेन तथाल्पेन भवन्त्याब्यमदान्विता: । धनं विश्वासतो न्यस्तं मिथो भूयिष्ठशो नरा:,राजन! थोड़ेसे धनका संग्रह हो जानेपर लोग धनाढ्यताके मदसे उन्मत्त हो उठेंगे। यदि किसीने विश्वास करके अपने धनको धरोहरके रूपमें रख दिया तो अधिकांश पापाचारी और निर्लज मनुष्य उस धरोहरको हड़प लेनेकी चेष्टा करेंगे और उससे साफ कह देंगे कि हमारे यहाँ तुम्हारा कुछ भी नहीं है
saṃcayena tathālpēna bhavanty abhyamadānvitāḥ | dhanaṃ viśvāsato nyastaṃ mitho bhūyiṣṭhaśo narāḥ, rājan |
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “O King, even a small accumulation of wealth makes people swell with the intoxication of affluence. And when money is entrusted in confidence as a deposit, most men—acting together—strive to seize it, brazenly denying, ‘You have nothing here.’”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that even modest wealth can breed arrogance, and that trust regarding money is often betrayed; ethical conduct requires resisting pride and honoring deposits and promises.
Vaiśaṃpāyana addresses the King with a moral observation about human behavior: people become intoxicated by small gains and commonly deny entrusted wealth, highlighting the fragility of trust in society.