Verse 7.96

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

रथाश्वं हस्तिनं छत्रं धनं धान्यं पशून् स्त्रियः ।
सर्वद्रव्याणि कुप्यं च यो यज् जयति तस्य तत् ॥ ९६ ॥

rathāśvaṃ hastinaṃ chatraṃ dhanaṃ dhānyaṃ paśūn striyaḥ |
sarvadravyāṇi kupyaṃ ca yo yaj jayati tasya tat || 96 ||

Chariots and horses, elephants, umbrellas, wealth, grains, animals, women, all goods and baser metals belong to him who wins them.—(96)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Baser metals’—utensils of copper etc. as also beds and chairs etc.

‘Belong to him who wins them.’— The king being the master of all, he might take away all the spoils of war; hence the text mentions a few exceptions.

Gold, silver, lands, buildings and so forth accrue to the King; hence the necessity of enumerating those that do not go to him. Arms and conveyances also accrue to the King.

‘Grains’ and other things being mentioned separately, the term ‘wealth’ stands for cows, buffalos etc.

It is is view of all this that there is the popular saying—Half belongs to the King’.—(96)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Rājanīti, p. 409), which adds the following explanations:—‘Sarvadravyāṇi’ stands for ‘clothes and other things’,—‘kupya’ for ‘copper and metals other than gold and silver’.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 7.96-98)

Gautama (1.20-23).—‘The victor shall receive the booty gained in battle. But chariots and riding animals belong to the king, also a preferential share; except when the booty has been gained in single combat, the king shall equally divide all other spoils.’

Āditya-purāṇa (Vīramitrodaya-Rājanīti, p. 409).—‘Having satisfied the ??ng (King?) in the battle, and having won the booty from Kṣatriyas killed in battle, if the soldier does not take to himself any of the booty, he goes to heaven. If the king who having conquered a kingdom but desisting from taking any booty therefrom, happen to be killed, be goes to heaven.’