Anushasana Parva Adhyaya 148 Shloka 38 - Mahabharata | Arabic | Vedapath

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Shloka 38

धर्मनिन्दा–धर्मोपासनाफलम् तथा साध्वाचारलक्षणम्

Fruits of Disparaging vs. Observing Dharma; Marks of Good Conduct

Devanagari script

धर्मदण्डो न निर्दण्डो धर्मकार्यानुशासक: । यन्त्रित: कार्यकरणै: षड़भागकृतलक्षण:

Transliteration

dharmadaṇḍo na nirdaṇḍo dharmakāryānuśāsakaḥ | yantritaḥ kāryakaraṇaiḥ ṣaḍbhāgakṛtalakṣaṇaḥ ||

Translation

قال مهاديڤا: «ليكن عقاب الملك عصاً للدharma، لا تركاً للعقاب. وليعلّم الناس وينظّمهم في أداء الأعمال الصالحة. وليكن مقيّداً بالقواعد والإجراءات في تدبير شؤون الملك، وليحمل السِّمة المعروفة: أن يأخذ السدس (من الغلة/الإيراد) من الرعية.»

Word by Word

धर्मदण्डःpunishment in accordance with dharma

नnot

निर्दण्डःwithout punishment; not punishing

धर्मकार्यin matters of dharma-duty

अनुशासकःinstructor; one who governs/commands

यन्त्रितःrestrained; bound by rules

कार्यकरणैःby means of prescribed procedures for action

षड्भागकृतलक्षणःhaving the rule/mark of taking a sixth share

Speaker

श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śrī Maheśvara (Mahādeva/Śiva)

rājā (the king)

daṇḍa (punishment/rod of governance)

Ṣ

ṣaḍbhāga (one-sixth tax share)

prajā (subjects/people)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler must uphold dharma through just punishment and moral instruction, remain constrained by lawful procedures in administration, and legitimately sustain the state by collecting the traditional one-sixth share from the people.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śrī Maheśvara is describing the standards of righteous kingship: the king should not abandon punishment, should guide subjects in dharmic conduct, should govern through regulated methods, and should take only the sanctioned revenue share (ṣaḍbhāga).