Verse 7.97

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

राज्ञश्च दद्युरुद्धारमित्येषा वैदिकी श्रुतिः ।
राज्ञा च सर्वयोधेभ्यो दातव्यमपृथग्जितम् ॥ ९७ ॥

rājñaśca dadyuruddhāramityeṣā vaidikī śrutiḥ |
rājñā ca sarvayodhebhyo dātavyamapṛthagjitam || 97 ||

They shall present to the King the choice portion,—such is the Vedic declaration. what has not been won individually shall be distributed by the king among all the soldiers.—(97)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

A particular detail is laid down in connection with the rule that ‘what has been won by one man shall be taken by him.’

The soldiers shall, of their own accord, ‘present to the king the choice portion’; i.e., they shall select their best object and present it to the king; and they shall not take all the booty themselves.

‘Such is the Vedic Declaration.’—The Vedic passage starting with the words ‘Indro vai vṛttram hatvā’ (Indra having killed Vṛttra), goes on to say—he having become great said to the Gods present to me the choice portion.’ (Aitareya Brāhmaṇa, 3.21).

In a case where the booty has been won by the King himself, or where it has not been won by any soldier individually, where no such distinction is possible as ‘this village has been won by this man and that by that man’, and where the enemy and his allies have been annihilated by all combined,—the division among his servants is to be made by the King, in accordance with the maxim of ‘bestowing on worthy recipients.’—(97)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

‘Indro vai vṛtram &c.’ (Medhātithi, p. 522, l. 19).—This quotation is from the Aitareya Brāhmaṇa, III. 21—(Buhler).

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Rājanīti, p. 409), which explains ‘apṛthagjitam’ as ‘what has been won by the soldiers collectively.’

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 7.96-98)

See Comparative notes for Verse 7.96.