Verse 8.305

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

यदधीते यद् यजते यद् ददाति यदर्चति ।
तस्य षड्भागभाग् राजा सम्यग् भवति रक्षणात् ॥ ३०५ ॥

yadadhīte yad yajate yad dadāti yadarcati |
tasya ṣaḍbhāgabhāg rājā samyag bhavati rakṣaṇāt || 305 ||

When one reads the Veda, when one performs a sacrifice, when one makes gifts, when one worships,—to the sixth part of each of those the king becomes entitled, in consequence of properly protecting the people—(305).

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

It has been said above that the merit ‘of all persons’ accrues to the king; this same idea is elaborated in the present verse.

The reading of the Veda and the other acts are already known from other sources as bringing merit.

‘Worship’—is the offering of worship to gods and to one’s superiors.

‘Of each of thoae’.—this should be construed with the term ‘adhyayanādeḥ’ ‘padārthasya’ (understood); since the term ‘kriyā’ would be feminine (and hence not construable with ‘tasya’).

‘Sixth part’;—this does not mean that ñvo parts of the fruit of the act accrue to the doer, and the sixth to the king; because it is understood that when the agent undertakes to do an act, he does it with the motive of obtaining its whole fruit; nor can the merit or demerit of an act done by one person accrue to another; as it is a settled fact that the fruit of an act cannot accrue to any oue else except the doer of it; hence what is meant is that the merit that accrues to the king from his act of fulfilling his duty of protecting the people is equal in amount to the said ‘sixth part’.—(305)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Rājanīti, p. 254);—and in Vivādacintāmaṇi (p. 263).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 8.304-305)

See Comparative notes for Verse 8.304.