Shloka 23
Adharmic Victory as Unstable; Rules of Restraint, Mediation, and Conciliation (अधर्मविजय-अध्रुवत्व तथा क्षमा-नयः)
भरतनन्दन! राजा नाभागने श्रोत्रिय और तापसके धनको छोड़कर शेष सारा राष्ट्र दक्षिणारूपमें ब्राह्मणोंको दे दिया ।।
bharatanandana! rājā nābhāgaḥ śrotriyasya ca tāpasasya ca dhanaṃ parityajya śeṣaṃ sarvaṃ rāṣṭraṃ dakṣiṇārūpeṇa brāhmaṇebhyo dadau. uccāvacāni vittāni dharmajñānāṃ yudhiṣṭhira; āsan rājñāṃ purāṇānāṃ sarvaṃ tan mama rocate.
毗湿摩说道：“婆罗多的后裔啊！那婆伽王除去应归于室罗底利耶（śrotriya）与苦行者（tāpasa）之财，便将其余整个国土尽数作为达克希那（dakṣiṇā）施与诸婆罗门。噢，坚战（Yudhiṣṭhira）！古之明达法度（dharma）之王，拥有种种财富；这一切多样的资财与赐予，在我看来皆可称善。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A righteous king should use royal resources for dharmic ends—especially supporting sacred learning and ritual—while respecting protected property: the wealth of Vedic scholars (śrotriyas) and ascetics (tāpasas) is not to be seized. Generosity is praised, but it must be bounded by ethical restraint.
In Bhishma’s instruction to Yudhishthira on dharma and governance, he cites King Nabhaga as an exemplar: Nabhaga gives the remaining wealth of the realm as dakṣiṇā to Brahmins, explicitly excluding what belongs to śrotriyas and ascetics. Bhishma then remarks approvingly on the diverse wealth and endowments associated with ancient dharma-knowing kings.