brahma-dviṣaḥ śaṭha-dhiyo
lubdhasya viṣayātmanaḥ
kṣatra-bandhoḥ karma-doṣāt
pañcatvaḿ me gato 'rbhakaḥ
brahma -- against brahmanas; dvishah -- hateful; satha -- duplicitous; dhiyah -- whose mentality; lubdhasya -- avaricious; vishaya-atmanah -- addicted to sense gratification; kshatra-bandhoh -- of an unqualified kshatriya; karma -- in the performance of duties; doshat -- because of discrepancies; pancatvam -- death; me -- my; gatah -- met; arbhakah -- son.
[The brahmana said:] This duplicitous, greedy enemy of brahmanas, this unqualified ruler addicted to sense pleasure, has caused my son's death by some discrepancies in the execution of his duties.
Presuming that he himself had done nothing to cause his son's death, the brahmana thought it reasonable to blame King Ugrasena. In the Vedic social system, the monarch is considered responsible for everything occurring in his kingdom, good or bad. Even in a democracy, a manager who takes charge of some group or project should accept personal responsibility for any failure rather than, as is so common today, trying to place the blame on his subordinates or superiors.
