Shloka 30
धृतराष्ट्रस्य पश्चात्तापः तथा वनप्रस्थानानुज्ञा | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Remorse and Request for Forest-Retirement
उग्रदण्डप्रधानाश्न मिथ्या व्याहारिणस्तथा । आक्रोष्टारश्न लुब्धाश्न हर्तार: साहसप्रिया:
ugradaṇḍapradhānāś ca mithyāvyāhāriṇas tathā | ākroṣṭāraś ca lubdhāś ca hartāraḥ sāhasapriyāḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana sprach: „Jene Beamten, die vor allem zu harten Strafen neigen, falsche Urteile fällen, mit Worten schmähen, gierig sind, fremdes Eigentum an sich reißen und tollkühne Gewalt lieben—solche Männer sollen, unter Bedacht auf Ort und Zeit, mit einer Geldbuße in Gold oder, wo es geboten ist, mit dem Tod bestraft werden.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns corrupt and violent judicial conduct—false judgments, greed, abuse, and unlawful seizure—and teaches that rulers must uphold dharma by punishing such officials appropriately, using fines or even capital punishment when necessary, with due regard to context (deśa-kāla).
Vaiśaṃpāyana is describing standards of governance and justice in the Ashramavāsika context, listing types of unethical officials and stating the proper royal response: proportionate punishment to protect social order and moral law.