Shloka 96
अर्जुनदुःखहेतुप्रश्नः — Inquiry into the cause of Arjuna’s recurring hardship
Book 14, Chapter 89
निष्क्रयो दीयतां महां ब्राह्मणा हि धनार्थिन: । “नृपश्रेष्ठ! तुम्हारी दी हुई इस पृथ्वीको मैं पुनः तुम्हारे ही अधिकारमें छोड़ता हूँ। तुम मुझे इसका मूल्य दे दो; क्योंकि ब्राह्मण धनके ही इच्छुक होते हैं (राज्यके नहीं)”
niṣkrayo dīyatāṃ mahān brāhmaṇā hi dhanārthinaḥ |
“ಮಹಾ ನಿಷ್ಕ್ರಯ (ಮೌಲ್ಯ) ನೀಡಲ್ಪಡಲಿ; ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣರು ಧನಾರ್ಥಿಗಳೇ. ನೃಪಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠನೇ! ನೀನು ನನಗೆ ದತ್ತವಾಗಿ ನೀಡಿದ ಈ ಭೂಮಿಯನ್ನು ನಾನು ಮತ್ತೆ ನಿನ್ನ ಅಧಿಕಾರದಲ್ಲೇ ಇಡುತ್ತೇನೆ; ಇದರ ಮೌಲ್ಯವನ್ನು ನನಗೆ ಕೊಡು—ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣರು ರಾಜ್ಯವಲ್ಲ, ಧನವನ್ನೇ ಬಯಸುತ್ತಾರೆ.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores an ethical distinction between spiritual authority and political power: a brāhmaṇa should not cling to sovereignty, but may accept wealth as a rightful means of support. It also frames gifts as requiring propriety—what is given should align with the recipient’s dharma, and when a gift is unsuitable (like dominion for a brāhmaṇa), its value may be taken instead.
In the Ashvamedhika context, a king offers the earth/kingdom as a grand gift. The brāhmaṇa recipient declines to retain political control, formally returning the earth to the king’s jurisdiction and asking instead for its monetary equivalent (niṣkraya/mūlya), stating that brāhmaṇas seek wealth for sustenance rather than rule.