Shloka 23

Devanagari script

ऋच्विजस्तमपर्यन्तं सुवर्णनिचयं तथा,ब्राह्मणोंके लेनेके बाद जो धन वहाँ पड़ा रह गया, उसे क्षत्रिय, वैश्य, शूद्र तथा म्लेच्छ जातिके लोग उठा ले गये

Transliteration

ṛtvijaḥ tam aparyantaṃ suvarṇa-nicayaṃ tathā | brāhmaṇaiḥ gṛhīteṣu śeṣaṃ yat tatra avatiṣṭhata | kṣatriyā vaiśyāḥ śūdrāś ca mleccha-jātayaś ca tad ajahruḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana disse: Os sacerdotes oficiantes receberam um montão incomensurável de ouro. Depois que os brāhmaṇas tomaram o que lhes era devido, a riqueza que ainda restava ali foi então levada por pessoas de outros grupos — kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras e até aqueles tidos por mlecchas. A cena ressalta a primazia da remuneração ritual legítima (dakṣiṇā) e a realidade social de que o excedente, uma vez satisfeito o direito prescrito, fica sujeito à apropriação geral.

Word by Word

ऋच्विजःthe priests (ṛtviks)

तम्that (him/it)

पर्यन्तम्up to; until

सुवर्णनिचयम्a heap/collection of gold

तथाand; likewise

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Ṛ

ṛtvij (sacrificial priests)

suvarṇa (gold)

Brāhmaṇas

Kṣatriyas

Vaiśyas

Śūdras

mleccha-jātis

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that in a yajña the first ethical claim on wealth is the prescribed dakṣiṇā to the officiating priests; once that rightful due is met, any surplus is no longer bound by the same ritual obligation and may pass into broader social circulation.

What is happening in the narrative?

During the Ashvamedha-related proceedings, an immense quantity of gold is present. The priests/Brāhmaṇas take their allotted share, and the remaining wealth lying there is then taken away by others—Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas, Śūdras, and mleccha groups.