Shloka 13
जनक-राज्ञः मौण्ड्य-परिव्रज्या-विवादः
Janaka’s Renunciation Questioned; Discourse on Dāna and Detachment
'पृथ्वीनाथ! आप सम्पूर्ण देवताओं, अतिथियों और पितरोंसे परित्यक्त होकर अकर्मण्य हो घर छोड़ रहे हैं ।।
pṛthvīnātha! āpa sampūrṇa devatāoṃ, atithiyoṃ aura pitṛoṃ se parityakta hokara akarmaṇya ho ghara choṛa rahe haiṃ. yastvaṃ traividyavṛddhānāṃ brāhmaṇānāṃ sahasraśaḥ bhartā bhūtvā ca lokasya soḍḍhya tair bhatim icchasi, amī ca dharmakāmāstyāṃ kṣatriyāḥ paryupāsate tvadāśām abhikāṅkṣantaḥ kṛpaṇāḥ phalahetukāḥ.
阿周那说道：“大地之主啊！你抛却本分、离家而去，仿佛被诸神、仰赖你款待的宾客、以及依靠你祭祀的祖先一并遗弃一般，竟以无所作为而遁世。你曾长期供养无数精通三吠陀的尊贵婆罗门，又以护民者之身担负众生之重，怎能如今反求退避这份责任？再看这些渴慕法度的刹帝利，常侍左右，对你寄以厚望——可怜之人，他们的效劳全凭对正当果报的希冀而维系。”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses rajadharma: a ruler’s moral identity is defined by sustaining social and sacred obligations—supporting Vedic learning, honoring guests, maintaining ancestral rites, and protecting dependents. Renunciation that abandons these responsibilities is portrayed as ethically problematic, because it harms those who rely on the king’s patronage and protection.
Arjuna addresses a king who is attempting to leave home and become inactive. He argues that such withdrawal amounts to forsaking gods, guests, and ancestors, and betrays the expectations of Brahmins and Kshatriyas who attend upon the king seeking rightful support and the fruits of service.