Shloka 31
Nakula’s Counsel on Yajña, Dāna, and Tyāga (नकुलोपदेशः—यज्ञदानत्यागविचारः)
अप्रदाय द्विजातिभ्यो मात्सर्याविष्टचेतस: । वयं ते राजकलयो भविष्याम विशाम्पते
apradāya dvijātibhyo mātsaryāviṣṭa-cetasaḥ | vayaṃ te rāja-kalayaḥ bhaviṣyāma viśāṃpate prajānātha |
Nakula dit : «Si, l’esprit saisi par l’envie, nous ne donnons pas aux deux-fois-nés, alors, ô seigneur des peuples, nous serons tenus pour “Kali parmi les rois”.»
नकुल उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s legitimacy is tied to rājadharma: overcoming envy and sustaining the social-religious order through dāna (generous giving), especially to dvijas. Refusing charity out of jealousy marks a king as ‘Kali-tainted’—a symbol of moral and political degeneration.
Nakula warns the addressed ruler that if they, driven by mātsarya (envy), do not give appropriate gifts to the twice-born, they will be condemned as kings embodying Kali—i.e., rulers who undermine dharma and the welfare of subjects.