Critical Edition
वैशंपायन उवाच अथार्जुन उवाचेदमधिक्षिप्त इवाक्षमी अभिनीततरं वाक्यं दृढवादपराक्रमः
AI Translation: Vaishampayana said Then Arjuna, who was like one who had been insulted, said this With a firm resolve and courage, he spoke words that were even more eloquent.
दर्शयन्नैन्द्रिरात्मानमुग्रमुग्रपराक्रमः स्मयमानो महातेजाः सृक्किणी संलिहन्मुहुः
AI Translation: Displaying his own form as Indra, of fierce prowess, Smiling, of great splendor, licking his lips again and again,
अहो दुःखमहो कृच्छ्रमहो वैक्लव्यमुत्तमम् यत्कृत्वामानुषं कर्म त्यजेथाः श्रियमुत्तमाम्
M. N. Dutt: 'O how painful, how distressing, I am sorry to see this great agitation of your heart, since having performed such a superhuman feat, you are deterinined to forsake the world,
शत्रून्हत्वा महीं लब्ध्वा स्वधर्मेणोपपादिताम् हतामित्रः कथं सर्वं त्यजेथा बुद्धिलाघवात्
M. N. Dutt: Having killed your enemies, and having the sovereignty of the Earth, which has been won ever by observing of the duties of your own order, why should you give up everything through fickleness of heart?
क्लीबस्य हि कुतो राज्यं दीर्घसूत्रस्य वा पुनः किमर्थं च महीपालानवधीः क्रोधमूर्छितः
M. N. Dutt: Where on Earth has a eunuch or a procrastinating person acquired sovereignty? Why then did you beside yourself with anger, slay all the kings of the Earth.
यो ह्याजिजीविषेद्भैक्ष्यं कर्मणा नैव केनचित् समारम्भान्बुभूषेत हतस्वस्तिरकिंचनः सर्वलोकेषु विख्यातो न पुत्रपशुसंहितः
M. N. Dutt: He that would lead the life of a mendicant, cannot, by any act of his, enjoy the good things of Earth. Shorn of prosperity and other resources, he can never acquire fame on Earth or sons and animals.
कापालीं नृप पापिष्ठां वृत्तिमास्थाय जीवतः संत्यज्य राज्यमृद्धं ते लोकोऽयं किं वदिष्यति
M. N. Dutt: If, O king, abandoning this prosperous kingdom, you lead the wretched life of a mendicant, what will the world say of you?
सर्वारम्भान्समुत्सृज्य हतस्वस्तिरकिंचनः कस्मादाशंससे भैक्ष्यं चर्तुं प्राकृतवत्प्रभो
M. N. Dutt: Why do you say that leaving aside all the good things of the Earth, shorn of prosperity, and of resources, you will live like a mendicant and a vulgar person.
अस्मिन्राजकुले जातो जित्वा कृत्स्नां वसुंधराम् धर्मार्थावखिलौ हित्वा वनं मौढ्यात्प्रतिष्ठसे
M. N. Dutt: You are born in a royal family. Having conquered the whole Earth, do you foolishly wish to live in the forest after for-saking everything of virtue of profit?
यदीमानि हवींषीह विमथिष्यन्त्यसाधवः भवता विप्रहीणानि प्राप्तं त्वामेव किल्बिषम्
M. N. Dutt: In your absence, dishonest men will despoil sacrifices. That sin will certainly contaminate you.
आकिंचन्यमनाशास्यमिति वै नहुषोऽब्रवीत् कृत्या नृशंसा ह्यधने धिगस्त्वधनतामिह
M. N. Dutt: Having perpetrated many wicked acts in a state of poverty, king Nahusha spoke ill of that state and said that poverty is for recluses.
अश्वस्तनमृषीणां हि विद्यते वेद तद्भवान् यं त्विमं धर्ममित्याहुर्धनादेष प्रवर्तते
M. N. Dutt: To make no provision for the morrow is a practice that suits Rishis. You know this well! The religion of kings, however, depends entirely on wealth.
धर्मं संहरते तस्य धनं हरति यस्य यः ह्रियमाणे धने राजन्वयं कस्य क्षमेमहि
M. N. Dutt: One who robs another of riches, robs him of his religion as well. Who amongst us, therefore, O king, would forgive an act of depriving us of our wealth.
अभिशस्तवत्प्रपश्यन्ति दरिद्रं पार्श्वतः स्थितम् दारिद्र्यं पातकं लोके कस्तच्छंसितुमर्हति
M. N. Dutt: It is seen that a poor man, even when he stands hard by, is accused falsely. Poverty is a sin. You should not, therefore, speak high of poverty.
पतितः शोच्यते राजन्निर्धनश्चापि शोच्यते विशेषं नाधिगच्छामि पतितस्याधनस्य च
M. N. Dutt: A degraded man as also a poor man, O king, have both to rue their fate, I see no difference between these two.
अर्थेभ्यो हि विवृद्धेभ्यः संभृतेभ्यस्ततस्ततः क्रियाः सर्वाः प्रवर्तन्ते पर्वतेभ्य इवापगाः
M. N. Dutt: The increased and deposited wealth like rivers from mountain begets all kinds of meritorious acts.
अर्थाद्धर्मश्च कामश्च स्वर्गश्चैव नराधिप प्राणयात्रा हि लोकस्य विनार्थं न प्रसिध्यति
M. N. Dutt: From wealth originate all religious acts, all pleasures, and heaven itself, O king, Without wealth, a man cannot find the very means of maintaining his life.
अर्थेन हि विहीनस्य पुरुषस्याल्पमेधसः व्युच्छिद्यन्ते क्रियाः सर्वा ग्रीष्मे कुसरितो यथा
M. N. Dutt: The acts of a person who, endued with little intelligence allows himself to be divested of wealth, are all dried up like shallow rivers in the summer.
यस्यार्थास्तस्य मित्राणि यस्यार्थास्तस्य बान्धवाः यस्यार्थाः स पुमाँल्लोके यस्यार्थाः स च पण्डितः
M. N. Dutt: He who has wealth has friends. He who has wealth has kinsmen. He who has wealth is considered as a sincere man in the world. He who has wealth is regarded as a learned man.
अधनेनार्थकामेन नार्थः शक्यो विवित्सता अर्थैरर्था निबध्यन्ते गजैरिव महागजाः
M. N. Dutt: If a person who has no wealth desires to accomplish a particular object, he meets with failure. Wealth Wealth accumulates wealth, like elephants capturing (wild) elephants.
धर्मः कामश्च स्वर्गश्च हर्षः क्रोधः श्रुतं दमः अर्थादेतानि सर्वाणि प्रवर्तन्ते नराधिप
M. N. Dutt: Religious acts, pleasures, joy, courage, anger, learning, and sense of dignity, all originate from wealth, O king.
धनात्कुलं प्रभवति धनाद्धर्मः प्रवर्तते नाधनस्यास्त्ययं लोको न परः पुरुषोत्तम
M. N. Dutt: Wealth begets family prestige. wealth multiples one's religious merit. He who is without wealth has neither this world, nor the next,O foremost of men.
नाधनो धर्मकृत्यानि यथावदनुतिष्ठति धनाद्धि धर्मः स्रवति शैलाद्गिरिनदी यथा
M. N. Dutt: The man who has no wealth cannot celebrate religious acts, for these originate from wealth, like rivers from a mountain.
यः कृशाश्वः कृशगवः कृशभृत्यः कृशातिथिः स वै राजन्कृशो नाम न शरीरकृशः कृशः
M. N. Dutt: He whose limbs are lean is not truly a lean man, but he who is lean in respect of horses and kine and servants and guests is truly so.
अवेक्षस्व यथान्यायं पश्य देवासुरं यथा राजन्किमन्यज्ज्ञातीनां वधादृध्यन्ति देवताः
M. N. Dutt: Judge truly, O kihg, and mark the conduct of the gods and the Danavas. O king, do the gods ever seek anything else than the destruction of their kinsmen (the Asuras)?
न चेद्धर्तव्यमन्यस्य कथं तद्धर्ममारभेत् एतावानेव वेदेषु निश्चयः कविभिः कृतः
M. N. Dutt: If the appropriation of another's wealth be not regarded as right, how, O monarch, will kings practise virtue on this Earth? Learned men have, in the Vedas, laid down this injunction.
अध्येतव्या त्रयी विद्या भवितव्यं विपश्चिता सर्वथा धनमाहार्यं यष्टव्यं चापि यत्नतः
M. N. Dutt: The learned man have decreed that kings should live, reciting every day the three Vedas, seeking to acquire wealth, and carefully celebrating sacrifices with the wealth thus acquired.
द्रोहाद्देवैरवाप्तानि दिवि स्थानानि सर्वशः इति देवा व्यवसिता वेदवादाश्च शाश्वताः
AI Translation: The gods, by their enmity, have obtained all the heavenly abodes. Thus the gods are determined, and the Vedic teachings are eternal.
Supplementary Passages:
12.8.28 After 28ab, K2-4 Dn D4.8 ins. (cf. 25cd): *9 द्रोहात्किमन्यज्ज्ञातीनां गृध्यन्ते येन देवताः
अधीयन्ते तपस्यन्ति यजन्ते याजयन्ति च कृत्स्नं तदेव च श्रेयो यदप्याददतेऽन्यतः
AI Translation: They study, they perform austerities, they perform sacrifices, they officiate at sacrifices. All that is good, even if they receive it from others.
न पश्यामोऽनपहृतं धनं किंचित्क्वचिद्वयम् एवमेव हि राजानो जयन्ति पृथिवीमिमाम्
AI Translation: We do not see any wealth that is not taken away by someone. It is in this way that kings conquer this earth.
जित्वा ममत्वं ब्रुवते पुत्रा इव पितुर्धने राजर्षयो जितस्वर्गा धर्मो ह्येषां निगद्यते
AI Translation: Having conquered the sense of ownership, they speak like sons of their father's wealth. The royal sages, having conquered heaven, this is said to be their Dharma.
यथैव पूर्णादुदधेः स्यन्दन्त्यापो दिशो दश एवं राजकुलाद्वित्तं पृथिवीं प्रतितिष्ठति
AI Translation: Just as water flows from the full ocean in the ten directions, so wealth flows from the royal court to the earth.
आसीदियं दिलीपस्य नृगस्य नहुषस्य च अम्बरीषस्य मान्धातुः पृथिवी सा त्वयि स्थिता
AI Translation: This earth was of Dilipa, Nriga, Nahusha, Ambarisha, Mandhata, but now it is in you.
स त्वां द्रव्यमयो यज्ञः संप्राप्तः सर्वदक्षिणः तं चेन्न यजसे राजन्प्राप्तस्त्वं देवकिल्बिषम्
AI Translation: But now this sacrifice, consisting of material things, has come to you, with all the sacrificial fees. If you do not perform it, O king, you will incur the sin of the gods.
येषां राजाश्वमेधेन यजते दक्षिणावता उपेत्य तस्यावभृथं पूताः सर्वे भवन्ति ते
AI Translation: Those for whom the king performs the horse sacrifice with gifts, having approached his final bath, all become purified.
विश्वरूपो महादेवः सर्वमेधे महामखे जुहाव सर्वभूतानि तथैवात्मानमात्मना
M. N. Dutt: In a great sacrifice requiring libations of all kinds of flesh, Mahadeva himself, poured all creatures as sacrificial libations and then his own self.
शाश्वतोऽयं भूतिपथो नास्यान्तमनुशुश्रुम महान्दाशरथः पन्था मा राजन्कापथं गमः
M. N. Dutt: This is the eternal and holy road. Its fruits are never destroyed. This is the great road called Dasharatha. Abandoning it, 'O king, what other path would you follow"? called Dasharatha. Abandoning it, 'O king, what other path would you follow"?