Whose Wealth a King May Take

Verse 1 (12.136.1)

अत्र गाथा ब्रह्मगीताः कीर्तयन्ति पुराविदः । येन मार्गेण राजानः कोशं संजनयन्त्युत ॥

atra gāthā brahmagītāḥ kīrtayanti purāvidaḥ | yena mārgeṇa rājānaḥ kośaṃ saṃjanayantyuta

On this the ancients recite the verses sung by Brahma, telling the way by which kings raise their treasuries.

Verse 2 (12.136.2)

न धनं यज्ञशीलानां हार्यं देवस्वमेव च । दस्यूनां निष्क्रियाणां च क्षत्रियो हर्तुमर्हति ॥

na dhanaṃ yajñaśīlānāṃ hāryaṃ devasvameva ca | dasyūnāṃ niṣkriyāṇāṃ ca kṣatriyo hartumarhati

The wealth of those devoted to sacrifice is not to be taken, nor what belongs to the gods; but a Kshatriya may take the wealth of robbers and of those who perform no rites.

Verse 3 (12.136.3)

इमाः प्रजाः क्षत्रियाणां रक्ष्या हन्याश्च भारत । धनं हि क्षत्रियस्येह द्वितीयस्य न विद्यते ॥

imāḥ prajāḥ kṣatriyāṇāṃ rakṣyā hanyāśca bhārata | dhanaṃ hi kṣatriyasyeha dvitīyasya na vidyate

These subjects are for the Kshatriyas to protect, O Bharata, and also, when need be, to strike down; for a Kshatriya has no other wealth in this world.

Note on the text: Corrected थनं → धनं (misprint in Wikisource; थ for ध; the critical edition reads dhanaṃ). Wikisource हन्याः for ādyāḥ is a variant, kept.

Verse 4 (12.136.4)

तदस्य स्याद्बलार्थं वा धनं यज्ञार्थमेव वा । अभोज्याश्चौषधीश्छित्त्वा भोज्या एव पचन्त्युत ॥

tadasya syādbalārthaṃ vā dhanaṃ yajñārthameva vā | abhojyāścauṣadhīśchittvā bhojyā eva pacantyuta

Let that wealth serve his strength, or his sacrifice. People cut down the plants that cannot be eaten and cook only those that can.

Verse 5 (12.136.5)

यो वै न देवान्न पितृन्न मर्त्यान्हविषाऽर्चति । अनर्थकं धनं तत्र प्राहुर्धर्मविदो जनाः ॥

yo vai na devānna pitṛnna martyānhaviṣā'rcati | anarthakaṃ dhanaṃ tatra prāhurdharmavido janāḥ

When a man honours with oblations neither the gods, nor the ancestors, nor men, those who know dharma call his wealth useless.

Note on the text: Corrected धमेविदो → धर्मविदो (misprint in Wikisource; the reph is misplaced and ए stands for it; धमेविद् is not a word). The critical edition reads vedavido here; Wikisource's धर्मविदः is kept as its own reading. The line is a recension variant of CE 12.134.5c (Wikisource अनर्थकं धनं तत्र प्राहुः for ānantikāṃ tāṃ dhanitām āhuḥ).

Verse 6 (12.136.6)

हरेत्तद्द्रविणं राजन्धार्मिकः पृथिवीपतिः । न हि न प्रीणयेल्लोकान्न लोके गर्हते नृपम् ॥

harettaddraviṇaṃ rājandhārmikaḥ pṛthivīpatiḥ | na hi na prīṇayellokānna loke garhate nṛpam

A king who follows dharma may take that wealth, O king; he would not fail to please the people, and the world does not blame such a king.

Note on the text: Corrected पृथिवीतिः → पृथिवीपतिः (misprint in Wikisource; the syllable प is dropped; the critical edition reads pṛthivīpatiḥ). Line 2 is a recension variant of CE 12.134.6c (Wikisource न हि न प्रीणयेल्लोकान्न लोके गर्हते नृपम् for na hi tat prīṇayel lokān na kośaṃ tadvidhaṃ nṛpaḥ), kept.

Verse 7 (12.136.7)

असाधुभ्योऽर्थमादाय साधुभ्यो यः प्रयच्छति । आत्मानं संक्रमं कृत्वा मन्ये धर्मविदेव सः ॥

asādhubhyo'rthamādāya sādhubhyo yaḥ prayacchati | ātmānaṃ saṃkramaṃ kṛtvā manye dharmavideva saḥ

He who takes wealth from the wicked and gives it to the good, making himself the bridge between them, is, I think, a knower of dharma.

Verse 8 (12.136.8)

तथातथा जयेल्लोकाञ्शक्त्या चैव यथायथा । औद्भिदा जन्तवो यद्वच्छ्रुत्वा वाजो यथातथा ॥

tathātathā jayellokāñśaktyā caiva yathāyathā | audbhidā jantavo yadvacchrutvā vājo yathātathā

In whatever way and by whatever power he can, he wins the worlds. Creatures born of sprouting plants come forth as they happen to.

Note on the text: Removed the square brackets Wikisource prints around line 1 and the stray daṇḍa inside them. Line 1 is not in the critical edition's constituted text; it is the star passage 12.134.7d*0306_01 (tathā tathā jayel lokāñ śaktyā caiva yathā tathā), with Wikisource यथायथा as a variant. Line 2 is a recension variant of CE 12.134.8a (audbhijjā jantavaḥ ke cid yuktavāco yathā tathā); its middle words are obscure and are rendered by the general sense. The alignment found no match.

Verse 9 (12.136.9)

अनिमित्तात्संभवन्ति तथा यज्ञः प्रजायते । यथैव दंशमशकं यथा कीटपिपीलिकम् ॥

animittātsaṃbhavanti tathā yajñaḥ prajāyate | yathaiva daṃśamaśakaṃ yathā kīṭapipīlikam

They arise without any cause, and so sacrifice comes into being; just as with gnats and mosquitoes, as with worms and ants,

Note on the text: Line 1 = CE 12.134.8c (Wikisource अनिमित्तात् for aniṣṭataḥ, a variant); line 2 = CE 12.134.9a (Wikisource यथा कीटपिपीलिकम् for yathā cāṇḍapipīlikam). The alignment found no match.

Verse 10 (12.136.10)

सैव वृत्तिर्हि यज्ञेषु यथा धर्मो विधीयते ॥

saiva vṛttirhi yajñeṣu yathā dharmo vidhīyate

that same way of life holds in sacrifices, as dharma is ordained.

Note on the text: Single line = a variant of CE 12.134.9c (Wikisource सैव वृत्तिर्हि यज्ञेषु for saiva vṛttir ayajñeṣu). Wikisource's own division gives it a verse to itself; nothing is lost. The alignment found no match.

Verse 11 (12.136.11)

यथा ह्यकस्माद्भवति भूमौ पांसुस्तृणोलपम् । तथैवेह भवेद्धर्मः सूक्ष्मः सूक्ष्मतरः स्मृतः ॥

yathā hyakasmādbhavati bhūmau pāṃsustṛṇolapam | tathaiveha bhaveddharmaḥ sūkṣmaḥ sūkṣmataraḥ smṛtaḥ

As dust and tufts of grass come up on the ground out of nowhere, so too dharma here is subtle, and is said to be subtler still.