Shloka 5
नतु पापकृतां राज्ञां प्रतिगृह्लन्ति साधव: । एतस्मात् कारणाद् यज्ञैर्यजेदू राजा$5प्तदक्षिणै:,श्रेष्ठ पुरुष पाप करनेवाले राजाका दान नहीं लेते हैं; इसलिये राजाको पर्याप्त दक्षिणा देकर यज्ञोंका अनुष्ठान करना चाहिये
bhīṣma uvāca | na tu pāpakṛtāṃ rājñāṃ pratigṛhṇanti sādhavaḥ | etasmāt kāraṇād yajñair yajed rājā āptadakṣiṇaiḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Orang-orang saleh tidak menerima pemberian daripada raja yang melakukan dosa. Oleh sebab itu, seorang raja hendaklah melaksanakan korban-korban suci dengan memberikan dakṣiṇā (upah/derma korban) yang mencukupi dan wajar, supaya pemberiannya menjadi layak dan menyucikan, bukan tercemar.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Gifts are ethically conditioned: if a ruler is sinful, his donations are considered tainted and are refused by the virtuous. A king should therefore align his giving with dharma—especially by performing yajñas and giving proper dakṣiṇā—so that generosity supports righteousness rather than laundering wrongdoing.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he explains standards for accepting and giving wealth. He warns that good people refuse gifts from immoral kings and advises the king to undertake sacrificial rites with appropriate fees, presenting a model of legitimate, dharmic patronage.