Shloka 22
राजधर्मः—प्रमादवर्जनं, दण्डनीतिः, दुर्बलरक्षणम्
Royal Dharma: Vigilance, Just Punishment, Protection of the Vulnerable
यत्राबलो वध्यमानस्त्रातारं नाधिगच्छति । महान् दैवकृतस्तत्र दण्ड: पतति दारुण:
yatrābalo vadhyamānas trātāraṁ nādhigacchati | mahān daivakṛtas tatra daṇḍaḥ patati dāruṇaḥ ||
উতথ্য বললেন— যেখানে দুর্বল জন নিপীড়িত হয় এবং কোনো রক্ষক পায় না, সেখানে সেই পাপী অত্যাচারীর উপর দৈববিধানে মহৎ ও ভয়ংকর দণ্ড অবশ্যম্ভাবীভাবে পতিত হয়।
उतथ्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Oppression of the helpless inevitably invites retribution: if no human protector appears, divine/cosmic justice (daiva) itself imposes a severe punishment on the wrongdoer. The verse reinforces dharma as an inescapable moral order.
In the Śānti Parva’s dharma-instructional setting, the sage Utathya states a principle about punishment and protection: the weak may lack immediate worldly support, but the aggressor does not escape—daṇḍa, backed by daiva, descends upon the perpetrator.