Shloka 6
अविश्वास-निति: ब्रह्मदत्त–पूजनी-संवादः
Policy of Caution: The Brahmadatta–Pūjanī Dialogue
हरेत् तद् द्रविणं राजन् धार्मिक: पृथिवीपति: । ततः प्रीणयते लोक॑ न कोशं तद्विधं नृप:
bhīṣma uvāca | haret tad draviṇaṁ rājan dhārmikaḥ pṛthivīpatiḥ | tataḥ prīṇayate lokaṁ na kośaṁ tadvidhaṁ nṛpaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô roi, le souverain juste, seigneur de la terre, doit confisquer une telle richesse. Avec elle, il doit contenter et soutenir le peuple ; mais, ô prince, il ne doit pas remplir son propre trésor de biens de cette sorte.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A dharmic king may seize wealth deemed improper or socially unproductive and use it for public welfare, but should not enrich the royal treasury with such tainted wealth; the ruler’s aim is protection and benefit of subjects, not personal accumulation.
In Bhishma’s instruction on rajadharma (the duties of kings) during the Shanti Parva, he advises the king on how to deal with certain kinds of wealth: confiscate it when appropriate, deploy it to sustain and please the people, and avoid treating it as legitimate revenue for the king’s own coffers.