Shloka 52
राजवृत्त-रक्षा-प्रणिधि-षाड्गुण्योपदेशः
Royal Conduct, Protection, Intelligence, and Policy Measures
नश्येदभिमृशन् सद्यो मृग: कूटमिव स्पृशन् | आत्मस्वमिव रक्षेत राजस्वमिह बुद्धिमान्
naśyed abhimṛśan sadyo mṛgaḥ kūṭam iva spṛśan | ātmasvam iva rakṣet rājasvam iha buddhimān |
Dijo Vasumanā: «El ciervo perece al instante cuando toca una trampa oculta; del mismo modo, quien pone las manos sobre los bienes del rey es destruido con rapidez. Por eso, el sabio debe proteger en este mundo la riqueza del rey con el mismo cuidado con que protegería la suya propia».
वसुमना उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not appropriate royal/public wealth; treating the king’s revenue as protected property is a duty, and violating it brings swift ruin—like a deer caught by a hidden snare.
Vasumanā delivers a moral warning using a vivid simile: just as a deer dies upon touching a concealed trap, so too a person who meddles with the king’s wealth meets immediate destruction; hence the wise should safeguard it as their own.