Mahabharata · 2.5.103–104
॥
Devanāgarī
नारद उवाच
कच्चिद् अभ्यागता दूराद् वणिजो लाभकारणात् ॥
यथोक्तम् अवहार्यन्ते शुल्कं शुल्कोपजीविभिः ॥
कच्चित् ते पुरुषा राजन् पुरे राष्ट्रे च मानिताः ॥
उपानयन्ति पण्यानि उपधाभिर् अवञ्चिताः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
nārada uvāca
kaccid abhyāgatā dūrād vaṇijo lābhakāraṇāt ||
yathoktam avahāryante śulkaṃ śulkopajīvibhiḥ ||
kaccit te puruṣā rājan pure rāṣṭre ca mānitāḥ ||
upānayanti paṇyāni upadhābhir avañcitāḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
कच्चित् अभ्यागताः दूरात् वणिजः लाभ-कारणात्kaccit abhyāgatāḥ dūrāt vaṇijaḥ lābha-kāraṇātI hope merchants, who have come from afar for the sake of profit,
यथा-उक्तम् अवहार्यन्ते शुल्कम् शुल्क-उपजीविभिःyathā-uktam avahāryante śulkam śulka-upajīvibhiḥare levied duty by the tax collectors [only] as prescribed;
कच्चित् ते पुरुषाः राजन् पुरे राष्ट्रे च मानिताःkaccit te puruṣāḥ rājan pure rāṣṭre ca mānitāḥI hope these men [traders], O king, in city and kingdom,
उपानयन्ति पण्यानि उपधाभिः अवञ्चिताःupānayanti paṇyāni upadhābhiḥ avañcitāḥare honored, and bring their goods, not deterred by [unjust] exactions?
नारदnāradaoriginal form "nārada", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कच्चिद्kaccidoriginal form "kaccid", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अभ्यागताabhyāgatāoriginal form "abhyāgatā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
दूराद्dūrādoriginal form "dūrād", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वणिजोvaṇijooriginal form "vaṇijo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
लाभकारणात्lābhakāraṇātoriginal form "lābhakāraṇāt", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
यथोक्तम्yathoktamoriginal form "yathoktam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
शुल्कंśulkaṃoriginal form "śulkaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
शुल्कोपजीविभिःśulkopajīvibhiḥoriginal form "śulkopajīvibhiḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पुरुषाpuruṣāoriginal form "puruṣā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
उपधाभिर्upadhābhiroriginal form "upadhābhir", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
"I hope that merchants who have come from afar for the sake of profit are levied duty by the tax collectors only as prescribed? I hope that these traders, honored in your city and kingdom, bring their goods without being deterred by unjust exactions, O king?"
Version
32a7785a680d · published Jul 16, 2026, 2:43:40 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here the king cares even for the merchant from abroad. It is telling that a fair, prescribed duty is named as the condition of trade: where exactions are unjust, the merchant departs, and the kingdom grows poor. Scripture thus shows the honesty of the tax collector to be the support of trade; what follows concerns heeding elders and caring for husbandry.