Shloka 6
अविश्वास-निति: ब्रह्मदत्त–पूजनी-संवादः
Policy of Caution: The Brahmadatta–Pūjanī Dialogue
हरेत् तद् द्रविणं राजन् धार्मिक: पृथिवीपति: । ततः प्रीणयते लोक॑ न कोशं तद्विधं नृप:,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
bhīṣma uvāca | haret tad draviṇaṁ rājan dhārmikaḥ pṛthivīpatiḥ | tataḥ prīṇayate lokaṁ na kośaṁ tadvidhaṁ nṛpaḥ ||
భీష్ముడు పలికెను— ఓ రాజా! ధర్మాత్ముడైన భూపతి అటువంటి ధనాన్ని హరించాలి; దానితో ప్రజలను తృప్తిపరచి పోషించాలి; కానీ, ఓ నృపా, ఆ ధనంతో తన కోశాన్ని నింపకూడదు.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A dharmic king may seize wealth deemed improper or socially unproductive and use it for public welfare, but should not enrich the royal treasury with such tainted wealth; the ruler’s aim is protection and benefit of subjects, not personal accumulation.
In Bhishma’s instruction on rajadharma (the duties of kings) during the Shanti Parva, he advises the king on how to deal with certain kinds of wealth: confiscate it when appropriate, deploy it to sustain and please the people, and avoid treating it as legitimate revenue for the king’s own coffers.