Shloka 36
अध्याय ७४: अक्रोध–क्षमा–निवासनीति
Chapter 74: Non-anger, Forbearance, and the Ethics of Residence
यदि मे याचमानाया वचन न करिष्यसि । दुष्यन्त शतधा मूर्धा ततस्तेडद्य स्फुटिष्यति,“महाराज दुष्यन्त! यदि मेरे उचित याचना करनेपर भी आप मेरी बात नहीं मानेंगे, तो आज आपके सिरके सैकड़ों टुकड़े हो जायँगे
yadi me yācamānāyā vacanaṁ na kariṣyasi | duṣyanta śatadhā mūrdhā tatas te 'dya sphuṭiṣyati ||
Wenn du meinen Worten nicht nachkommst, obwohl ich mit gerechtem Anliegen bitte, dann, o Duṣyanta, wird noch heute dein Haupt in hundert Stücke bersten.
दुष्यन्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must heed a rightful petition and act according to dharma; ignoring a just plea is portrayed as a moral breach that brings swift, severe consequences.
A speaker addresses King Duṣyanta with an ultimatum-like warning: if he refuses the petitioner’s request, a catastrophic punishment—his head splitting into a hundred pieces—will occur that very day.