Shloka 9
पूर्व: प्रवर्तितं किंचित् कुले5स्मिन् नृपसत्तमै: । साधु वा यदि वासाधु तन्नातिक्रान्तुमुत्सहे,'परंतु इस कुलमें पहलेके श्रेष्ठ राजाओंने कुछ शुल्क लेनेका नियम चला दिया है। वह अच्छा हो या बुरा, मैं उसका उल्लंघन नहीं कर सकता
pūrvaiḥ pravartitaṃ kiñcit kule 'smin nṛpasattamaiḥ | sādhu vā yadi vāsādhu tan nātikrāntum utsahe ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “In this lineage, the foremost kings of earlier times established a certain customary levy. Whether that practice is good or not, I do not presume to overstep it.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights adherence to kula-dharma—dynastic custom and precedent—as a guiding ethical constraint: even if a practice is arguably good or bad, one hesitates to violate what earlier exemplary rulers instituted, emphasizing continuity, legitimacy, and restraint.
A speaker (reported by Vaiśampāyana) justifies following an established rule in the dynasty—described as a customary levy or due—stating that it was instituted by former great kings and therefore will not be transgressed, framing the action as fidelity to inherited royal practice.