Shloka 9
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 113 — Maryādā-sthāpana (Śvetaketu’s Boundary) and the Niyoga Deliberation of Pāṇḍu and Kuntī
पूर्व: प्रवर्तितं किंचित् कुले5स्मिन् नृपसत्तमै: । साधु वा यदि वासाधु तन्नातिक्रान्तुमुत्सहे,'परंतु इस कुलमें पहलेके श्रेष्ठ राजाओंने कुछ शुल्क लेनेका नियम चला दिया है। वह अच्छा हो या बुरा, मैं उसका उल्लंघन नहीं कर सकता
pūrvaiḥ pravartitaṃ kiñcit kule 'smin nṛpasattamaiḥ | sādhu vā yadi vāsādhu tan nātikrāntum utsahe ||
Вайшампаяна сказал: «В этом роду лучшие цари древности установили некий обычный сбор. Хорош он или дурен — я не дерзаю переступить его».
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights adherence to kula-dharma—dynastic custom and precedent—as a guiding ethical constraint: even if a practice is arguably good or bad, one hesitates to violate what earlier exemplary rulers instituted, emphasizing continuity, legitimacy, and restraint.
A speaker (reported by Vaiśampāyana) justifies following an established rule in the dynasty—described as a customary levy or due—stating that it was instituted by former great kings and therefore will not be transgressed, framing the action as fidelity to inherited royal practice.