Shloka 10

धन-राजधर्म संवादः

Discourse on Wealth and Royal Duty

Devanagari script

यदीमानि हवींषीह विमथिष्यन्त्यसाधव: । भवता विप्रहीणानि प्राप्तं त्वामेव किल्बिषम्‌,यदि आपके त्याग देनेपर यज्ञकी इन संचित सामग्रियोंको दुष्ट लोग नष्ट कर देंगे तो इसका पाप आपको ही लगेगा (अर्थात्‌ आपने यज्ञ-याग छोड़ दिये हैं, अतः आपको आदर्श मानकर दूसरे लोग भी इस कर्मसे उदासीन हो जायूँगे, उस दशामें इस धर्मकृत्यका उच्छेद हो जायगा और इसका दोष आपके सिर ही लगेगा)

Transliteration

yadīmāni havīṁṣīha vimathiṣyanty asādhavaḥ | bhavatā viprahīṇāni prāptaṁ tvām eva kilbiṣam ||

Translation

アルジュナは言った。「もしあなたがこの祭儀を捨てた後、ここにいる悪しき者どもが積み集められた供物と祭具を破壊するなら、その罪はただあなた一人に帰する—あなたの離脱が前例となり、人々は聖なる務めに冷淡となって、このダルマの継続そのものが断たれてしまうからだ。」

Word by Word

यदिif

इमानिthese

हवींषिoblations

इहhere

विमथिष्यन्तिwill destroy/ruin

असाधवःwicked people

भवताby you

विप्रहीणानिdevoid of a brahmin (priest)

प्राप्तम्has come/has accrued

त्वाम्to you

एवindeed/only

किल्बिषम्sin/fault

Speaker

अर्जुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

havīṁṣi (sacrificial offerings/materials)

asādhavaḥ (wicked people)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A leader’s abandonment of dharmic practice can become a harmful precedent: it encourages neglect of duty in others, leading to the decline of righteous conduct, and the moral blame is said to accrue to the one who set the example.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna argues that if the intended sacrificial act is given up, unscrupulous people may ruin the gathered offerings; more importantly, he warns that the renouncer will be held responsible because others will imitate the withdrawal and the ritual-dharma will be undermined.