यक्ष्यमाणोऽश्वमेधेन ज्ञातिद्रोहजिहासया ।
राजा लब्धधनो दध्यौ नान्यत्र करदण्डयोः ॥३२॥

yaká¹£yamÄṇo 'Å›vamedhena
jñÄti-droha-jihÄsayÄ
rÄjÄ labdha-dhano dadhyau
nÄnyatra kara-daṇá¸ayoḥ

 yaká¹£yamÄṇaḥ - desiring to perform; aÅ›vamedhena - by the horse sacrifice ceremony; jñÄti-droha - fighting with kinsmen; jihÄsayÄ - for getting free; rÄjÄ - King Yudhiṣṭhira; labdha-dhanaḥ - for getting some wealth; dadhyau - thought about it; na anyatra - not otherwise; kara-daṇá¸ayoḥ - taxes and fines.


Text

Just at this time, King Yudhiṣṭhira was considering performing a horse sacrifice to get freed from sins incurred from fighting with kinsmen. But he became anxious to get some wealth, for there were no surplus funds outside of fines and tax collection.

Purport

As the brÄhmaṇas and vipras had a right to be subsidized by the state, the state executive head had the right to collect taxes and fines from the citizens. After the Battle of Kuruká¹£etra the state treasury was exhausted, and therefore there was no surplus fund except the fund from tax collection and fines. Such funds were sufficient only for the state budget, and having no excess fund, the King was anxious to get more wealth in some other way in order to perform the horse sacrifice. MahÄrÄja Yudhiṣṭhira wanted to perform this sacrifice under the instruction of BhÄ«á¹£madeva.