The Treasury and the Limits of Robbers

Verse 1 (12.133.1)

स्वराष्ट्रात्परराष्ट्राच्च कोशं संजनयेन्नृपः । कोशाद्धि धर्मः कौन्तेय राज्यमूलं प्रवर्तते ॥

svarāṣṭrātpararāṣṭrācca kośaṃ saṃjanayennṛpaḥ | kośāddhi dharmaḥ kaunteya rājyamūlaṃ pravartate

A king should raise a treasury from his own realm and from the realms of others. For from the treasury, son of Kunti, dharma, the root of the kingdom, goes forward.

Verse 2 (12.133.2)

तस्मात्संजनयेत्कोशं सत्कृत्य परिपालयेत् । परिपाल्यानुगृह्णीयादेव धर्मः सनातनः ॥

tasmātsaṃjanayetkośaṃ satkṛtya paripālayet | paripālyānugṛhṇīyādeva dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ

Therefore he should build up the treasury, honour it and guard it; having guarded it, he should use it to show favour. This is eternal dharma.

Verse 3 (12.133.3)

स कोशः शुद्धभावेन न नृशंसेन जायते । मध्यमं पदमास्थाय कोशसंग्रहणं चरेत् ॥

sa kośaḥ śuddhabhāvena na nṛśaṃsena jāyate | madhyamaṃ padamāsthāya kośasaṃgrahaṇaṃ caret

That treasury is not made by pure-heartedness alone, nor by cruelty. Taking the middle course, he should gather the treasury.

Verse 4 (12.133.4)

अबलस्य कुतः कोशो ह्यकोशस्य कुतो बलम् । अबलस्य कुतो राज्यमराज्ये श्रीर्भवेत्कुतः ॥

abalasya kutaḥ kośo hyakośasya kuto balam | abalasya kuto rājyamarājye śrīrbhavetkutaḥ

How can the weak have a treasury, and how can one without a treasury have strength? How can the weak have a kingdom, and without a kingdom, how can there be prosperity?

Verse 5 (12.133.5)

उच्चैर्वृत्तेः श्रियो हानिर्यथैव मरणं तथा । तस्मात्कोशं बलं मित्रमथ राजा विवर्धयेत् ॥

uccairvṛtteḥ śriyo hāniryathaiva maraṇaṃ tathā | tasmātkośaṃ balaṃ mitramatha rājā vivardhayet

For one who has lived in high state, the loss of fortune is as bad as death. Therefore the king should increase his treasury, his strength and his friends.

Verse 6 (12.133.6)

हीनकोशं हि राजानमवमन्यन्ति शत्रवः । न चास्याल्पे तुष्यन्ति कर्मणाऽप्युत्सहन्ति च ॥

hīnakośaṃ hi rājānamavamanyanti śatravaḥ | na cāsyālpe tuṣyanti karmaṇā'pyutsahanti ca

Enemies despise a king whose treasury is poor; they are not content with a little from him, and they bestir themselves to act against him.

Verse 7 (12.133.7)

श्रियो हि कारणाद्राजा सत्क्रियां लभते पराम् । साऽस्य गूहति पापानि वासो गुह्यमिव स्त्रियाः ॥

śriyo hi kāraṇādrājā satkriyāṃ labhate parām | sā'sya gūhati pāpāni vāso guhyamiva striyāḥ

It is because of fortune that a king receives the highest honour; and that honour hides his sins, as a garment hides what a woman keeps private.

Verse 8 (12.133.8)

ऋद्धिमस्यानुतप्यन्ते पुरा विप्रकृता नराः । सालावृका इवाजस्रं जिघांसूनेव विन्दति । ईदृशस्य कुतो राज्यं सुखं भरतसत्तम ॥

ṛddhimasyānutapyante purā viprakṛtā narāḥ | sālāvṛkā ivājasraṃ jighāṃsūneva vindati | īdṛśasya kuto rājyaṃ sukhaṃ bharatasattama

Men whom he wronged before burn with resentment at his prosperity, and, like wolves, he finds only those who always want to kill him. How can such a king have a kingdom or happiness, best of the Bharatas?

Note on the text: Corrected इवाजस्नं → इवाजस्रं (misprint in Wikisource; स्न for स्र; the critical edition reads ivājasram).

Verse 9 (12.133.9)

उद्यच्छेदेव न ग्लायेदुद्यमो ह्येव पौरुषम् । अप्यपर्वणि भज्येत न नमेतेह कस्यचित् ॥

udyacchedeva na glāyedudyamo hyeva pauruṣam | apyaparvaṇi bhajyeta na nameteha kasyacit

Let him exert himself and never flag, for exertion is itself manliness. He may break, even off the joint, but he should never bow to anyone here.

Verse 10 (12.133.10)

अप्यरण्यं समाश्रित्य चरेन्मृगगणैः सह । न त्वेवोद्रिक्तमर्यादैर्दस्युभिः सहितश्चरेत् ॥

apyaraṇyaṃ samāśritya carenmṛgagaṇaiḥ saha | na tvevodriktamaryādairdasyubhiḥ sahitaścaret

He may even take refuge in the forest and live among herds of deer, but he should never live with robbers who have overstepped all bounds.

Note on the text: = CE 12.131.10a,c (Wikisource मृगगणैः for dasyugaṇaiḥ, उद्रिक्तमर्यादैः for uddhṛtamaryādaiḥ, variants, kept). The alignment found no match.

Verse 11 (12.133.11)

दस्यूनां सुलभा सेना रौद्रकर्मसु भारत । एकान्ततो ह्यमर्यादात्सर्वोऽप्युद्विजते जनः ॥

dasyūnāṃ sulabhā senā raudrakarmasu bhārata | ekāntato hyamaryādātsarvo'pyudvijate janaḥ

Troops of robbers are easy to find for cruel deeds, O Bharata; but everyone shrinks from a man who is wholly without restraint.

Note on the text: Line 1 = CE 12.131.10e; line 2 = CE 12.131.11a. The alignment found no match.

Verse 12 (12.133.12)

दस्यवोऽप्यभिशङ्कन्ते निरनुक्रोशकारिणः ॥

dasyavo'pyabhiśaṅkante niranukrośakāriṇaḥ

Even robbers grow wary of those who act without any mercy.

Note on the text: Single line = CE 12.131.11c. Wikisource's own division gives it a verse to itself; nothing is lost.

Verse 13 (12.133.13)

स्थापयेदेव मर्यादां जनचित्तप्रसादिनीम् । अल्पाप्यर्थेषु मर्यादा लोके भवति पूजिता ॥

sthāpayedeva maryādāṃ janacittaprasādinīm | alpāpyartheṣu maryādā loke bhavati pūjitā

Let him fix a rule of conduct that wins the hearts of the people; even a small rule in matters of wealth comes to be honoured in the world.

Verse 14 (12.133.14)

नायं लोकोऽस्ति न पर इति व्यवसितो जनः । नालं गन्तुमिहाश्वासं नास्तिक्यभयशङ्कितैः ॥

nāyaṃ loko'sti na para iti vyavasito janaḥ | nālaṃ gantumihāśvāsaṃ nāstikyabhayaśaṅkitaiḥ

A man who has decided that there is neither this world nor another cannot win trust here; people fear and suspect unbelievers.

Verse 15 (12.133.15)

यथा सद्भिः परादानमहिंसा दस्युभिस्तथा । अनुरज्यन्ति भूतानि समर्यादेषु दस्युषु ॥

yathā sadbhiḥ parādānamahiṃsā dasyubhistathā | anurajyanti bhūtāni samaryādeṣu dasyuṣu

As taking from others is free of violence among the good, so it should be among robbers; creatures grow attached to robbers who keep within bounds.

Verse 16 (12.133.16)

अयुध्यमानस्यादानं दारामर्शः कृतघ्नता । ब्रह्मवित्तस्य चादानं निःशेषकरणं तथा ॥

ayudhyamānasyādānaṃ dārāmarśaḥ kṛtaghnatā | brahmavittasya cādānaṃ niḥśeṣakaraṇaṃ tathā

Taking from one who is not fighting, outraging another's wife, ingratitude, seizing a Brahmin's property, and leaving a man with nothing at all,

Note on the text: = CE 12.131.15a,c (Wikisource अयुध्यमानस्यादानम् for ayudhyamānasya vadhaḥ, a variant, kept). The alignment found no match.

Verse 17 (12.133.17)

स्त्रिया मोषः पथिस्थानं साधुष्वेव विगर्हितम् । सदोष एव भवति दस्युरेतानि वर्जयेत् ॥

striyā moṣaḥ pathisthānaṃ sādhuṣveva vigarhitam | sadoṣa eva bhavati dasyuretāni varjayet

carrying off a woman and lying in wait on the road: these are condemned among the good. A robber becomes culpable through them, so he should avoid all of these.

Note on the text: Line 1 = CE 12.131.15e; line 2 = CE 12.131.16a. The alignment found no match.

Verse 18 (12.133.18)

अभिसंदधते ये च विनाशायास्य भारत । सशेषमेवोपलभ्य कुर्वन्तीति विनिश्चयः ॥

abhisaṃdadhate ye ca vināśāyāsya bhārata | saśeṣamevopalabhya kurvantīti viniścayaḥ

Those who plot his ruin, Bharata, do so, it is settled, only on finding that a remainder is left.

Note on the text: = CE 12.131.16c,e. The alignment found no match.

Verse 19 (12.133.19)

तस्मात्सशेषं कर्तव्यं स्वाधीनमपि दस्युभिः । न बलस्थोऽहमस्मीति नृशंसानि समाचरेत् ॥

tasmātsaśeṣaṃ kartavyaṃ svādhīnamapi dasyubhiḥ | na balastho'hamasmīti nṛśaṃsāni samācaret

Therefore a remainder should be left, even when the victim is wholly in the robbers' power. Let him never act cruelly, thinking, "I am strong."

Verse 20 (12.133.20)

सशेषकारिणस्तत्र शेषं पश्यन्ति सर्वशः । निःशेषकारिणो नित्यं निःशेषकरणाद्भयम् ॥

saśeṣakāriṇastatra śeṣaṃ paśyanti sarvaśaḥ | niḥśeṣakāriṇo nityaṃ niḥśeṣakaraṇādbhayam

Those who leave a remainder find a remainder left to them on every side; for those who leave nothing there is constant fear of being left with nothing.