Shloka 133

राष्ट्रगुप्ति-संग्रहः

Protection of the Realm and Principles of Revenue & Local Administration

Devanagari script

योगक्षेमं च सम्प्रेक्ष्य वणिजां कारयेत्‌ करान्‌ | राजाको मालकी खरीद--बिक्री

Transliteration

yogakṣemaṁ ca samprekṣya vaṇijāṁ kārayet karān |

Translation

Bhishma dit : «Après avoir soigneusement considéré le bien-être et la sécurité (yoga-kṣema) des marchands—la manière dont leur commerce se maintient et se protège—un roi ne doit lever l’impôt sur eux qu’avec une telle prudence, afin d’accroître le revenu sans nuire au négoce ni aux moyens d’existence qui en dépendent.»

Word by Word

• योगक्षेमम्: welfare and security (yoga and kṣema)
• योगक्षेमम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगक्षेम
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• सम्प्रेक्ष्य: having considered / having looked into
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-प्र-ईक्ष्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund)

• वणिजाम्: of merchants
• Type: Noun
• Root: वणिज्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• कारयेत्: should cause to be levied / should impose
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Vidhi-lin (optative), Non-past (injunctive/optative sense), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada, true

• करान्: taxes
• करान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• rājā (king)
• vaṇij (merchant/trader)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Taxation must be guided by yogakṣema—protecting and sustaining the economic well-being of merchants—so the king raises revenue without undermining trade or public prosperity.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s teachings on kingship (rājadharma), Bhīṣma instructs the king on how to levy taxes, emphasizing careful assessment of merchants’ capacity and welfare before imposing levies.