Shloka 3

Adhyaya 18 — Arjuna Declines the Throne; Garga Directs Him to Dattatreya; The Gods Defeat the Daityas through Dattatreya’s Vision and the Movement of Lakshmi

Sanskrit

यदर्थं गृह्यते शुल्कं तदनिष्पादयन् वृथा ।

पण्यानां द्वादशं भागं भूपालाय वणिग्जनः ॥

Transliteration

yadarthaṃ gṛhyate śulkaṃ tad aniṣpādayan vṛthā /

paṇyānāṃ dvādaśaṃ bhāgaṃ bhūpālāya vaṇigjanaḥ

Translation

Si l’on perçoit un droit de douane sans assurer la fin pour laquelle il est perçu (protection et ordre), cette perception est vaine. La communauté des marchands remet au roi le douzième des biens.

Word by Word

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; relative pronoun used with अर्थम्

• अर्थम्: purpose/benefit
• अर्थम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• गृह्यते: is taken/collected
• गृह्यते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Passive voice (कर्मणि), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• शुल्कम्: toll/fee
• शुल्कम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुल्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; in passive, functions as grammatical subject

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; correlating with यत्

• अनिष्पादयन्: not accomplishing/fulfilling
• अनिष्पादयन्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अन् + निष्पादय् (धातु; causative of निष्पद्)
• Form: Present active participle (वर्तमान-कृदन्त/शतृ), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; agent implied (e.g., king/collector)

• वृथा: in vain/without result
• वृथा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वृथा (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• पण्यानाम्: of the goods/merchandise
• पण्यानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• द्वादशम्: twelfth (one out of twelve)
• द्वादशम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादशन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; numeral qualifying भागम्

• भागम्: share/portion
• भागम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• भूपालाय: to the king
• भूपालाय: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूपाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular

• वणिक्-जनः: the merchant people/traders
• वणिक्-जनः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वणिक् (प्रातिपदिक) + जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वणिजां जनः)

Speakers

• Arjuna’s reasoning within the narrative (reported speech)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Taxation ethics
• Social contract (protection for revenue)
• Economic dharma
• Kingship duty

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Revenue is legitimate only when tied to public good—especially protection. Taking tax without delivering security/order is adharma.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Dharma instruction embedded in vaṃśānucarita: governance norms articulated through a king’s dialogue.

What is the esoteric significance?

Tax here symbolizes ‘exchange of energy’ between ruler and subjects; imbalance (taking without giving) produces moral debt (ṛṇa) that ripens as suffering.