Verse 7.152

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

परस्परविरुद्धानां तेषां च समुपार्जनम् ।
कन्यानां सम्प्रदानं च कुमाराणां च रक्षणम् ॥ १५२ ॥

parasparaviruddhānāṃ teṣāṃ ca samupārjanam |
kanyānāṃ sampradānaṃ ca kumārāṇāṃ ca rakṣaṇam || 152 ||

—also on the attainment of these, mutually irreconcilable as they are, on the giving away of daughters and on the guardianship of sons;—(152)

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘The attainment’,—bringing together—‘of these, mutually irreconcilable’—i.e., of morality, pleasure and wealth,—or of the ministers;—‘the giving away of daughters’;—all this should be deliberated upon, in connection with the success of his business; also the ‘guardianship of his sons’, the princes.

The princes should be made to accept morality and wealth, by the king saying such words be ‘I am your own’. When they come by money for the first time, they spend it just as they happen to be advised, and they generally waste it; and evil-minded men take from them whatever they ask for;—if they happen to associate with wicked men, they imbibe their character; and being thus poisoned with evil tendencies, they cannot be kept away from vices; for, as has been said—‘it is impossible for the colour of saffron to be put upon a cloth already tinged with blue’. For this reason the princes have to be constantly instructed. Among them again, those that are possessed of better qualities should receive advancement; the others receiving comparatively little for their share. The eldest of them, who is highly qualified and free from jealousies, should be installed as heir-apparent. In this manner the king shall always take care to guard the princes.—(152)

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

The second half of this verse is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 410);—the entire verse in Vīramitrodaya (Rājanīti, p. 159),—and again on p. 317, where the following notes are added—‘Teṣām,’ stands for ‘Dharma’—Artha—Kāma’, among whom, in most cases, there is conflict;—‘samupārjanam,’ means ‘attainment, in the proper manner, i.e., the attainment of one or the other out of the three, without detriment to the other two factors.’