Shloka 6
Adhyāya 166: Kṛtaghna-doṣa (कृतघ्नदोषः) — the fault of ingratitude and the limits of expiation
यज्ञश्नेत् प्रतिरुद्ध: स्यादंशेनैकेन यज्वनः । ब्राह्मणस्य विशेषेण धार्मिके सति राजनि,यदि धर्मात्मा राजाके रहते हुए किसी यज्ञकर्ताका, विशेषतः ब्राह्मणका यज्ञ धनके बिना अधूरा रह जाय--उसके एक अंशकी पूर्ति शेष रह जाय तो राजाको चाहिये कि उसके राज्यमें जो बहुत पशुओं तथा वैभवसे सम्पन्न वैश्य हो, यदि वह यज्ञ तथा सोमयागसे रहित हो तो उसके कुटुम्बसे उस धनको यज्ञके लिये ले ले
yajñaśnet pratiruddhaḥ syād aṁśenaikena yajvanaḥ | brāhmaṇasya viśeṣeṇa dhārmike sati rājani ||
भीष्म उवाच—ब्राह्मणस्य विशेषेण, धार्मिके सति राजनि, यज्वनः यज्ञः प्रतिरुद्धः स्यात्, अंशेनैकेन शिष्टे; तदा राजा तस्य पूर्तिं कारयेत्। तस्य राज्ये बहुपशु-समृद्धो वैश्यो यज्ञहीनः सोमयागवर्जितश्चेत्, तस्य कुटुम्बात् यज्ञार्थं वित्तमादाय यज्ञं समापयेत्।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A righteous king must prevent sacred duties from failing due to lack of resources—especially a Brāhmaṇa’s sacrifice. If necessary, he may requisition wealth from a prosperous but non-sacrificing Vaiśya household to complete the yajña, framing royal exaction as a dharmic duty aimed at sustaining public religious order.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on rājadharma in the Śānti Parva, he describes a case where a sacrificer’s ritual is stalled with a remaining portion incomplete. He advises the king to intervene and secure funds—potentially by taking from a wealthy Vaiśya family lacking sacrificial observance—so the rite can be finished.