Shloka 26

धन-राजधर्म संवादः

Discourse on Wealth and Royal Duty

Devanagari script

न चेद्धर्तव्यमन्यस्य कथं तद्धर्ममारभेत्‌ । एतावानेव वेदेषु निश्चय: कविभि: कृत:

Transliteration

na ced dhartavyam anyasya kathaṁ tad dharmam ārabhet | etāvān eva vedeṣu niścayaḥ kavibhiḥ kṛtaḥ ||

Translation

阿周那说道：“若不应夺取他人之物，又怎能把那夺取之举当作‘法（dharma）’来实行？唯此一端，乃诸吠陀中圣贤所定的确论。”

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• चेत्: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत्

• धर्तव्यम्: to be borne/maintained; ought to be undertaken
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ
• Form: तव्यत् (gerundive/obligative), neuter, nominative/accusative, singular, passive sense

• अन्यस्य: of another (person)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य
• Form: masculine/neuter, genitive, singular

• कथम्: how?
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम्

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• धर्मम्: dharma; duty
• धर्मम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• आरभेत्: should begin/undertake
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-रभ्
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), present-system (optative sense), 3rd, singular, परस्मैपदम्

• एतावान्: this much; so much
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतावत्
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• एव: indeed; only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• वेदेषु: in the Vedas
• वेदेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद
• Form: masculine, locative, plural

• निश्चयः: certainty; settled conclusion
• निश्चयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: निश्चय
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• कविभिः: by sages/poets
• कविभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कवि
• Form: masculine, instrumental, plural

• कृतः: made; established
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), masculine, nominative, singular

Speaker

अर्जुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Vedas
• kavi (sages/seers)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

That taking what belongs to another cannot be justified as dharma; the Vedic-sage consensus treats non-appropriation (non-stealing) as a firm ethical boundary.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna frames a moral objection in the form of a rhetorical question, appealing to Vedic authority and the determinations of sages to argue that an act involving taking another’s possession cannot be initiated as righteous duty.