Shloka 58
कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः
Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma
हर्तु व्यवसिता राजन् पापाचारसमन्विता: । नैतदस्तीति मनुजा वर्तन्ते निरपत्रपा:,राजन! थोड़ेसे धनका संग्रह हो जानेपर लोग धनाढ्यताके मदसे उन्मत्त हो उठेंगे। यदि किसीने विश्वास करके अपने धनको धरोहरके रूपमें रख दिया तो अधिकांश पापाचारी और निर्लज मनुष्य उस धरोहरको हड़प लेनेकी चेष्टा करेंगे और उससे साफ कह देंगे कि हमारे यहाँ तुम्हारा कुछ भी नहीं है
hartum vyavasitā rājan pāpācāra-samanvitāḥ | na etad astīti manujā vartante nirapatrapāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O King, once they have resolved to seize it—being steeped in sinful conduct—shameless men go so far as to declare, ‘This is not here at all.’ Thus, when a little wealth has been amassed, people become intoxicated with the pride of riches; and if someone, trusting them, deposits his property as a pledge or safekeeping, many wicked and unblushing men will attempt to appropriate that deposit and bluntly deny any obligation.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that pride in wealth can erode dharma: people may become shameless, attempt to seize what was entrusted to them, and even deny the truth outright. It highlights the ethical danger of greed and the collapse of honesty when moral restraint is lost.
Vaiśampāyana addresses the king and describes a social reality: when someone deposits property in trust, many wrongdoers—determined to appropriate it—may brazenly claim, ‘Nothing of yours is here,’ illustrating betrayal of trust and the rise of shameless conduct.