Shloka 24

राजा-दैवतत्वम् — The King as a Stabilizing ‘Daivata’ (Divine Function) in Social Order

Devanagari script

धान्यस्य दशमं भागं दास्याम: कोशवर्धनम्‌ | कन्यां शुल्के चारुरूपां विवाहेषूद्यतासु च

Transliteration

dhānyasya daśamaṁ bhāgaṁ dāsyāmaḥ kośavardhanam | kanyāṁ śulke cārurūpāṁ vivāheṣūdyatāsu ca ||

Translation

మేము ధాన్యములో పదవ భాగమును కోశవృద్ధికై సమర్పించెదము; అలాగే వివాహములకు సిద్ధమైనప్పుడు శుల్కముగా సుందరరూపిణి కన్యను కూడా ఇస్తాము.

Word by Word

धान्यस्यof grain

दशमम्tenth

भागम्share/portion

दास्यामःwe shall give

कोशवर्धनम्increasing the treasury

कन्याम्a maiden/daughter

शुल्केas bride-price/dowry (in the fee)

चारुरूपाम्beautiful in form

विवाहेषुin marriages

उद्यतासुwhen (they are) ready/undertaken

चand

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

kośa (royal treasury)

dhānya (grain)

kanyā (maiden/bride)

śulka (bride-price)

vivāha (marriage)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

That a kingdom’s stability depends on orderly, rule-bound economic measures (like a fixed share of produce) and on maintaining social institutions (like marriage) through recognized customs—both ideally governed by dharma rather than arbitrariness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma is describing practical arrangements connected with governance and social regulation: allocating a tenth of grain to strengthen the treasury and referencing marriage-related payments involving a maiden and śulka when weddings are being arranged.