Shloka 7
न त्यागो न पुनर्यज्ञो न तपो मनुजेश्वर । क्षत्रियस्यथ विधीयन्ते न परस्वोपजीवनम्,“नरेश्वर! क्षत्रियके लिये त्याग, यज्ञ, तप और दूसरेके धनसे जीवन-निर्वाहका विधान नहीं है
na tyāgo na punaryajño na tapo manujeśvara | kṣatriyasyātha vidhīyante na parasvopajīvanam ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai penguasa manusia, bagi seorang kṣatriya tidak ditetapkan hidup dengan pelepasan diri, dengan yajña, atau dengan tapa; dan tidak pula ia diperintahkan menafkahi diri dengan bergantung pada harta orang lain.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes varṇa-appropriate duty: a kṣatriya’s prescribed path is not primarily renunciation, ritualism, or asceticism, nor dependence on others’ wealth, but sustaining himself through his own rightful means while upholding rāja-dharma.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma after the war, Vaiśampāyana reports a teaching addressed to a king, clarifying what is and is not enjoined for a kṣatriya as part of guidance on proper conduct and livelihood.