Shloka 4
अभोग्याश्लौषधीश्कछित्त्वा भोग्या एव पचन्त्युत,राजन! जो खानेयोग्य नहीं हैं, उन ओषधियों या वृक्षोंको काटकर मनुष्य उनके द्वारा खानेयोग्य ओषधियोंको पकाते हैं। इसी प्रकार जो देवताओं, पितरों और मनुष्योंका हविष्यके द्वारा पूजन नहीं करता है, उसके धनको धर्मज्ञ पुरुषोंने व्यर्थ बताया है। अतः धर्मात्मा राजा ऐसे धनको छीन ले और उसके द्वारा प्रजाका पालन करे, किंतु वैसे धनसे राजा अपना कोश न भरे
abhogyāślauṣadhīḥ kacchittvā bhogyā eva pacanty uta | rājan! yo khāneyogya nahīṃ haiṃ, un oṣadhiyoṃ yā vṛkṣoṃ ko kāṭakara manuṣya unake dvārā khāneyogya oṣadhiyoṃ ko pacāte haiṃ | evaṃ yaḥ devatā-pitṛ-manuṣyāṇāṃ haviṣā pūjanaṃ na karoti, tasya dhanaṃ dharmajñaiḥ puruṣaiḥ vyarthaṃ proktam | ataḥ dharmātmā rājā tādṛśaṃ dhanaṃ chīnatāṃ, tena prajā-pālanaṃ karotu, kintu tādṛśena dhanena rājā svaṃ kośaṃ na pūrayet ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Ó rei, os homens cortam ervas ou árvores não comestíveis e, por meio delas, cozinham o que é comestível. Do mesmo modo, a riqueza daquele que não venera os deuses, os ancestrais e os homens por meio de oferendas (havis) é declarada vã pelos que conhecem o dharma. Portanto, um rei justo deve confiscar tal riqueza e usá-la para sustentar o povo; contudo, não deve encher o próprio tesouro com riqueza desse tipo.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wealth becomes ethically ‘fruitless’ if it is not used to honor obligations to gods, ancestors, and people through offerings and support. A righteous king may confiscate such misused wealth for public welfare, but should not enrich his own treasury with it.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on royal duty, Bhishma advises the king (Yudhishthira) using an analogy from cooking: even inedible wood/herbs can serve as fuel to prepare edible food. Likewise, wealth that is not sanctified by worship and giving may be redirected by the king toward maintaining the subjects, without becoming personal royal gain.