Shloka 31
Chapter 78: Royal Responsibility for Wealth, Social Order, and the Protection of Dvijas
Kekaya Exemplum
येषां पुरोगमा विप्रा येषां ब्रह्म परं बलम् । अतिथिप्रियास्तथा पौरास्ते वै स्वर्गजितो नूपा:
yeṣāṃ purogamā viprā yeṣāṃ brahma paraṃ balam | atithipriyās tathā paurās te vai svargajito nṛpāḥ ||
ಯಾರ ಮುಂದೆ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣರು ಗೌರವದಿಂದ ಮುನ್ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಾರೋ, ಯಾರ ಪರಮ ಬಲ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮತೇಜವೋ, ಮತ್ತು ಯಾರ ಪಟ್ಟಣವಾಸಿಗಳು ಅತಿಥಿ-ಸತ್ಕಾರದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯುಳ್ಳವರೋ— ಅಂಥ ರಾಜರು ನಿಶ್ಚಯವಾಗಿ ಸ್ವರ್ಗವನ್ನು ಜಯಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ.
राक्षस उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s lasting merit is grounded in dharma: honoring learned brāhmaṇas (as custodians of sacred knowledge) and fostering a culture of atithi-satkara (hospitality). Such social and religious ethics are presented as a direct cause of heavenly attainment.
A rākṣasa speaks a didactic verse praising the qualities of righteous kingship: brāhmaṇas are given precedence and respect, spiritual authority is treated as the kingdom’s true strength, and citizens are characterized by love of welcoming guests—together marking a polity that earns svarga.