Shloka 19

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

Devanagari script

यः परस्वमथादद्यात्‌ त्याज्या नस्तादृशा इति । विश्वासार्थ च सर्वेषां वर्णानामविशेषत: । तास्तथा समयं कृत्वा समयेनावतस्थिरे

Transliteration

yaḥ parasvam athādadyāt tyājyā nas tādṛśā iti | viśvāsārthaṃ ca sarveṣāṃ varṇānām aviśeṣataḥ | tās tathā samayaṃ kṛtvā samayenāvatasthire

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: “Ai lấy của cải của người khác thì phải bị trục xuất—hạng người ấy không được ở giữa chúng ta.” Và để gây dựng lòng tin nơi mọi giai tầng, không phân biệt, họ đã lập giao ước như vậy; lập rồi, họ kiên định giữ gìn, sống đúng theo lời thề ước.

Word by Word

यःwho (he who)

परस्वम्another's property

अथand/then

आदद्यात्should take/steal

त्याज्याःto be abandoned/expelled

नःof us/our

तादृशाःsuch (persons)

इतिthus/so (quotative)

विश्वासार्थम्for the sake of trust

चand

सर्वेषाम्of all

वर्णानाम्of the classes/varṇas

अविशेषतःwithout distinction, impartially

ताःthey (those)

तथाthus/accordingly

समयम्agreement/compact

कृत्वाhaving made

समयेनby/with the agreement

अवतस्थिरेthey stood firm/abided

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

varṇas (social orders)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Stealing or appropriating another’s property is a grave breach of dharma warranting social rejection, and stable society depends on impartial, shared rules that build trust across all varṇas.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma describes a community norm: they declare that anyone who takes another’s property is to be expelled, and they formalize this as a common agreement binding on everyone, which they then faithfully uphold.