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:
bhīṣma uvāca | haret tad draviṇaṁ rājan dhārmikaḥ pṛthivīpatiḥ | tataḥ prīṇayate lokaṁ na kośaṁ tadvidhaṁ nṛpaḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：“大王啊，奉法的统治者、地上之主，应当没收那样的财富。以此使百姓得安得养；但君王不可用这类财富充盈自己的国库。”
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.