Shloka 57

कृतयुगवर्णनम् तथा राजधर्मोपदेशः

Kṛtayuga Description and Instruction on Royal Dharma

Devanagari script

संचयेन तथाल्पेन भवन्त्याब्यमदान्विता: । धनं विश्वासतो न्यस्तं मिथो भूयिष्ठशो नरा:,राजन! थोड़ेसे धनका संग्रह हो जानेपर लोग धनाढ्यताके मदसे उन्मत्त हो उठेंगे। यदि किसीने विश्वास करके अपने धनको धरोहरके रूपमें रख दिया तो अधिकांश पापाचारी और निर्लज मनुष्य उस धरोहरको हड़प लेनेकी चेष्टा करेंगे और उससे साफ कह देंगे कि हमारे यहाँ तुम्हारा कुछ भी नहीं है

Transliteration

saṃcayena tathālpēna bhavanty abhyamadānvitāḥ | dhanaṃ viśvāsato nyastaṃ mitho bhūyiṣṭhaśo narāḥ, rājan |

Translation

毗湿摩波耶那说道：“大王啊，哪怕只积攒了些许财物，人们也会因富贵之醉而自大。若有人出于信任将钱财托付为寄存，多数人便相互串通，企图侵吞，并厚颜无耻地否认：‘你在这里什么也没有。’”

Word by Word

संचयेनby accumulation

तथाthus/also

अल्पेनby a little (amount)

भवन्तिbecome

आभ्यांby these two

मद-अन्विताःendowed with intoxication/pride

धनम्wealth

विश्वासतःin trust/trustingly

न्यस्तम्deposited/entrusted

मिथःmutually/among themselves

भूयिष्ठशःfor the most part/mostly

नराःmen/people

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

rājan (the King addressed)

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?

The verse warns that even modest wealth can breed arrogance, and that trust regarding money is often betrayed; ethical conduct requires resisting pride and honoring deposits and promises.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana addresses the King with a moral observation about human behavior: people become intoxicated by small gains and commonly deny entrusted wealth, highlighting the fragility of trust in society.