Verse 7.213 [General Precepts]

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

आपदर्थं धनं रक्षेद् दारान् रक्षेद् धनैरपि ।
आत्मानं सततं रक्षेद् दारैरपि धनैरपि ॥ २१३ ॥

āpadarthaṃ dhanaṃ rakṣed dārān rakṣed dhanairapi |
ātmānaṃ satataṃ rakṣed dārairapi dhanairapi || 213 ||

He shall save his wealth for the sake of trouble; his wife he shall protect even with his wealth; and himself he shall constantly protect, even with his wife and his wealth.—(213)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The rule here laid down is extremely difficult to follow.

‘For the sake of trouble’,—i.e., for the purpose of removing trouble; just as smoke set up for the removal of mosquitoes is said to be ‘for the sake of mosquitoes’. For that purpose ‘he shall save wealth’; there is no other use for saving wealth; as wealth has been described as being for the sake of giving and enjoying. Hence it is with due consideration of this that the king shall regulate his expeditions and haltings and the winning over of the men of the other party.

Even with wealth he shall protect his wife; the mention of the ‘wife’ includes all near relatives.

His own self is to be preserved; and if he cannot preserve himself by any other way, he shall do it even by giving away all his property, or even if it become necessary, by giving up his wife; for even after having abandoned his wife and property, he may take to the vow of silence and carry on a life of righteousness. Those persons who allow themselves to perish for the sake of wealth or wife,—for them the wife or the property serves no useful purpose, either visible or invisible, because such an act is neither righteous nor unrighteous.

This forsaking of the wife does not apply to young princes............... (?)

Though this rule has been laid down in the section dealing with the ‘King’s Duties’, yet, since it serves a distinctly useful purpose, it should be taken as applicable to all persons.

Objection: “The king, having acquired a kingdom, and being possessed of much wealth, shall perform the Aśvamedha and other elaborate sacrifices and enjoy unequalled pleasures; what could the discontented people do to him (in consideration whereof he should give up the conquered territory)?”

There is no force in this objetion; even for men possessed of little wealth, many righteous acts are possible, in the shape of the telling of beads and so forth. It is only for certain acts of a peculiar character that wealth is necessary; and under the circumstances stated it would not be right to displease the people; hence such an act shall not be done in a hurry.—(213)

And the reason for it is as follows:—

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Rājanīti, p. 413).