Shloka 14
अश्वमेध-उपदेशः तथा मरुत्त-यज्ञ-धन-प्रसङ्गः
Counsel on Aśvamedha and the Marutta-treasure episode
स्वयं विनाश्य पृथिवीं यज्ञार्थ द्विजसत्तम । करमाहारयिष्यामि कथं शोकपरायण:,द्विजश्रेष्ठ! स्वयं ही सारी पृथ्वीका विनाश कराकर शोकमग्न हुआ मैं इनसे यज्ञके लिये कर किस तरह वसूल करूँगा
svayaṁ vināśya pṛthivīṁ yajñārthaṁ dvijasattama | karam āhārayiṣyāmi kathaṁ śokaparāyaṇaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O best of twice-born ones, after having myself brought about the devastation of the earth, how can I—overwhelmed and driven by grief—collect taxes from the people for the sake of a sacrifice?”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between royal duty (funding a yajña through taxation) and moral accountability after widespread suffering. Yudhiṣṭhira’s grief and remorse make him question the legitimacy of extracting revenue from a populace already harmed by war, emphasizing compassion and conscientious governance within dharma.
In the aftermath of the great war, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a revered Brahmin (dvijasattama) while preparations for a major sacrifice are in view. He confesses that, having been a cause of the earth’s devastation, he feels unfit and emotionally unable to demand taxes for conducting the yajña.