युधिष्ठिर उवाच दानं यज्ञः क्रिया चेह किंस्वित् प्रेत्य महाफलम् कस्य ज्यायः फलं प्रोक्तं कीदृशेभ्यः कथं कदा॥ एतदिच्छामि विज्ञातुं याथातथ्येन भारत। विद्वन् जिज्ञासमानाय दानधर्मान् प्रचक्ष्व मे॥
Yudhishthira said I wish to know fully, O Bharata, where one get the high reward of gifts and sacrifices. Are those rewards acquired here or hereafter? Which amongst these two (viz., Gift and Sacrifice) yields superior merit? To whom should gifts be made? In what manner are gifts and sacrifices to be made? When also are they to be made? I ask you this, O learned sire? Do you discourse to me on the duty of gifts!
अन्तर्वेद्यां च यद् दत्तं श्रद्धया चानृशंस्यतः। किंस्विन्नैःश्रेयसं तात तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह॥
Do you tell me, O grandfather, what brings on the highest reward, viz., gifts made from the sacrificial platform or those made out of that place?
भीष्म उवाच रौद्रं कर्म क्षत्रियस्य सततं तात वर्तते। तस्य वैतानिकं कर्म दानं चैवेह पावनम्॥
Bhishma said O son, a Kshatriya is generally engaged in decds of fierceness. In his case, sacrifices and gifts, are considered as cleansing or sanctifying him.
न तु पापकृतां राज्ञां प्रतिगृह्णन्ति साधवः। एतस्मात् कारणाद् यज्ञैर्यजेद् राजाऽऽप्तदक्षिणैः॥
The good and righteous, do not accept the gifts of persons of the royal order, who perpetrate sinful deeds. Therefore, the king should celebrate sacrifices with profuse gifts in the form of Dakshina.
अथ चेत् प्रतिगृह्वीयुर्दद्यादहरहर्नृपः। श्रद्धामास्थाय परमां पावनं ह्येतदुत्तमम्॥
If the good and righteous would accept the gifts made to them, the Kshatriya, O king, should continually make gifts with devotion and faith to them. Gifts yield great merit, and are highly cleansing.
ब्राह्मणांस्तर्पयन् द्रव्यस्ततो यज्ञे यतव्रतः। मैत्रान् साधून् वेदविदः शीलवृत्ततपोर्जितान्॥
Observing vows, one should celebrate sacrifices and please with wealth, such Brahmanas as are friends of all creatures, endued with righteousness, conversant of the Vedas, and pre-eminent for acts, conduct and penances.
यत् ते ते न करिष्यन्ति कृतं ते न भविष्यति। यज्ञान् साधय साधुभ्यः स्वाद्वन्नान् दक्षिणावतः॥
If such Brahmanas do not accept your gifts, no merit will become yours. Do you celebrate sacrifices with profuse Dakshina, and make gifts of good and agreeable food to the righteous.
इष्टं दत्तं च मन्येथा आत्मानं दानकर्मणा। पूजयेथा याजयूकांस्तवाप्यंशो भवेद् यथा॥
By making an act of gift you should consider yourself as performing a sacrifice. You should, with gifts, worship those Brahmanas who perform sacrifices. By doing this you will acquire a share in the merits of those sacrifices of theirs.
प्रजावतो भरेथाश्च ब्राह्मणान् बहुकारिणः। प्रजावांस्तेन भवति यथा जनयिता तथा॥
You should support such Brahmanas as have children and as are capable of sending people to heaven. By acting thus, you are sure to get a large progeny-in fact, as large a progeny as the Prajapati himself.
यावतः साधुधर्मान् वै सन्तः संवर्धयन्त्युत। सर्वस्वैश्चापि भर्तव्या नरा ये बहुकारिणः॥
The righteous support and advance the cause of virtue. One should, by giving up his all, support such men as also those who do good to all creatures.
समृद्धः सम्प्रयच्छ त्वं ब्राह्मणेभ्यो युधिष्ठिर। धेनूरनडूहोऽन्नानि च्छत्रं वासांस्युपानहौ॥
Yourself being rich, do you, Yudhishthira, make gifts to Brahmans of kine and bullocks and food and umbrellas and robes and sandals or shoes.
आज्यानि यजमानेभ्यस्तथानानि च भारत। अश्ववन्ति च यानानि वेश्मानि शयनानि च॥
Do you give to sacrificing Brahmanas clarified butter as also food, and cars and vehicles with horses harnessed thereto, and dwelling houses and mansions and beds.
एते देया व्युष्टिमन्तो लघूपायाश्च भारत। अजुगुप्सांश्च विज्ञाय ब्राह्मणान् वृत्तिकर्शितान्॥
Such gifts yield prosperity and affluence to the giver, and are considered as pure, O Bharata. Those Brahmanas who are not censurable for anything they do, and who have no means of support assigned to them, should be found out.
उपच्छन्नं प्रकाशं वा वृत्त्या प्रतिपालयेत् राजसूयाश्वमेधाभ्यां श्रेयस्तत् क्षत्रियान् प्रति॥
Covertly or publicly, do you maintain such Brahmanas by giving to them the means of support. Such conduct always gives higher benefit to Kshatriyas than the Rajasuya and the Horse-Sacrifices.
एवं पापैर्विनिर्मुक्तस्त्वं पूतः स्वर्गमाप्स्यसि। संचयित्वा पुनः कोशं यद् राष्ट्र पालयिष्यसि॥
Purged off of sin, you are sure of attaining to Heaven. Filling your treasury, you should do good to your kingdom.
तेन त्वं ब्रह्मभूयत्वमवाप्स्यसि धनानि च। आत्मनश्च परेषां च वृत्तिं संरक्ष भारत॥
By such conduct you are sure to acquire immense riches, and become a Brahman (in your next life). Do you, O Bharata, protect your own means as also the means of others people's livelihood.
पुत्रवच्चापि भृत्यान् स्वान् प्रजाश्च परिपालय। योगः क्षेमश्च ते नित्यं ब्राह्मणेष्वस्तु भारत॥
Do you support your servants as your own children. Do you, O Bharata, protect the Brahmanas in the enjoyment of what they have and make gifts, to them of such articles as they have not.
तदर्थं जीवितं तेऽस्तु मा तेभ्योऽप्रतिपालनम्। अनर्थो ब्राह्मणस्यैष यद् वित्तनिचयो महान्॥
Let your life be devoted to the Brahmanas. Let it never be said that you do not grant protection to the Brahmanas. Much wealth, when possessed by a Brahmana; becomes a source of evil to himn.
श्रिया ह्यभीक्ष्णं संवासो दर्पयेत् सम्प्रमोहयेत्। ब्राह्मणेषु प्रमूढेषु धर्मो विप्रणशेद् ध्रुवम्। धर्मप्रणाशे भूतानामभावः स्यान्न संशयः॥
Constant association with riches and prosperity is sure to fill him with pride and cause him to be stupefied. If the Brahmanas become stupefied and steeped in folly., virtue and duties are sure to suffer destruction. Forsooth, if virtue and duty come to an end, it will lead to the destruction of all creatures.
यो रक्षिभ्यः सम्प्रदाय राजा राष्ट्रं विलुम्पति। यज्ञे राष्ट्राद् धनं तस्मादानयध्वमिति ब्रुवन्॥
That king who having amassed riches makes it over to his treasury officers and guards, and then begins to again plunder his kingdom, saying to his officers-Do you bring me as much riches as you can extort from the kingdom.
यच्चादाय तदाज्ञप्तं भीतं दत्तं सुदारुणम्। यजेद् राजा न तं यज्ञं प्रशंसन्त्यस्य साधवः॥
And who spends the riches that is thus collected at his behest under circumstances of fear and cruelty, in the performance of sacrifices, should know that those sacrifices of his, are never highly spoken of by the pious.
अपीडिताः सुसंवृद्धा ये ददत्यनुकूलतः। तादृशेनाप्युपायेन यष्टव्यं नोद्यमाहृतैः॥
The king should celebrate scarifices with such money as is willingly paid to his treasury by prosperous and unpersecuted subjects. Sacrifices should never be celebrated with money got with severity and extortion.
यदा परिनिषिच्येत निहितो वै यथाविधि। तदा राजा महायज्ञैर्यजेत बहुदक्षिणैः॥
The king should then celebrate great sacrifices with large presents in the shape of Dakshina, when on account of his being devoted to the behoof of his subjects the latter bathe him with copious showers of riches brought willingly by them for the purpose.
वृद्धबालधनं रक्ष्यमन्धस्य कृपणस्य च। न खातपूर्वं कुर्वीत न रुदन्ती धनं हरेत्॥
The king should protect the riches of those that are old, of those that are minors, of those that are blind, and of those that are otherwise disqualified. The king should never take any money from his people, if they, in a season of drought, succeed in growing any corn with the help of water obtained from wells. Nor should he take any wealth from weeping women.
हतं कृपणवित्तं हि राष्ट्र हन्ति नृपश्रियम्। दद्याच्च महतो भोगान् क्षुद्भयं प्रणुदेत् सताम्॥
The riches taken from the poor and the helpless is sure to destroy the kingdom and prosperity of the king. The king should always present to the righteous all enjoyable articles in abundance. He should certainly remove the fear of famishing which those men may have.
येषां स्वादूनि भोज्यानि समवेक्ष्यन्ति बालकाः। नाश्नन्ति विधिवत् तानि किं तु पापतरं ततः॥
There are no men more sinful than those upon whose food children look wistfully without being able to eat them duly,
यदि ते तादृशो राष्ट्रे विद्वान् सीदेत् क्षुधा द्विजः। भ्रूणहत्यां च गच्छेथाः कृत्वा पापमिवोत्तमम्॥
If within your kingdom any learned Brahinana dies with hunger like any of those children, you shall then incur the sin of focticide for having allowed such an act.
धिक् तस्य जीवितं राज्ञो राष्ट्रे यस्यावसीदति। द्विजोऽन्योवा मनुष्योऽपि शिबिराह वचो यथा॥
King Shivi himself had said this, viz.-Fie on that king in whose kingdom a Brahmana or even any other man starves.
यस्य स्म विषये राज्ञः स्नातकः सीदति क्षुधा। अवृद्धिमेति तद्राष्ट्रं विन्दते सहराजकम्॥
That kingdom in which a Brahmana of the Snataka class starves, becomes overwhelmed with adversity. Such a kingdom with its king also incurs reproach.
क्रोशन्त्यो यस्य वै राष्ट्राधियन्ते तरसा स्त्रियः। क्रोशतां पतिपुत्राणां मृतोऽसौ न च जीवति॥
That king is more dead than alive in whose kingdom women are easily abducted from their husbands and sons uttering cries and groans of indignation and grief.
अरक्षितारं हर्तारं विलोप्तारमनायकम्। तं वै राजकलिं हन्युः प्रजाः सन्ना निघृणम्॥
The subjects should arm themselves for killing that king who does not protect them who simply plunders their riches, who confounds all distinctions who is incapable of taking their lead, who is without mercy, and who is considered as the most sinful of kings.
अहं वो रक्षितेत्युक्त्वा यो न रक्षति भूमिपः। स संहत्य निहन्तव्यः श्वेव सोन्माद आतुरः॥
That king who tells his people that he is their protector but who does not or is unable to protect them, should be killed by his subjects in a body like a dog that is affected with the rabies and has become mad.
पापं कुर्वन्ति यत् किंचित् प्रजा राज्ञा हरक्षिताः। चतुर्थं तस्य पापस्य राजा विन्दति भारत॥
A fourth part of whatever sins are committed by the subjects visits that king who does not protect, О Bharata.
अथाहुः सर्वमेवैति भूयोऽमिति निश्चयः। चतुर्थे मतमस्माकं मनोः श्रुत्वानुशासनम्॥
Some authorities say that the whole of those sins visits such a king. Others are of opinion that a half thereof visits him. Bearing in mind, However, the saying of Manu, it is our opinion that a fourth part of such sins visits the unprotecting king.
शुभं वा यच्च कुर्वन्ति प्रजा राज्ञा सुरक्षिताः। चतुर्थं तस्य पुण्यस्य राजा चाप्नोति भारत॥
That king, O Bharata, O Bharata, who affords protection to his subjects gets fourth part of whatever merits his subjects win by living under his protection.
जीवन्तं त्वानुजीवन्तु प्रजाः सर्वा युधिष्ठिर। पर्जन्यमिव भूतानि महादुममिवाण्डजाः॥
Do you, O Yudhishthira, act in such a way that all your subjects, may seek refuge with you as long as you are alive, as all creatures seek the refuge, of the god of rain or as the birds seek the refuge of a large tree.
कुबेरमिव रक्षांसि शतक्रतुमिवामराः। ज्ञातयस्त्वानुजीवन्तु सुहृदश्च परंतप॥
Let all your kinsmen and all your friends and well-wishers, O scorcher of enemies, seek refuge with you as the Rakshasas seek Kubera or the gods seek Indra as theirs.