Shloka 19
मोक्षोपाय-निर्णयः
Determination of the Means to Liberation
मृदव: सत्य भूयिष्ठा अल्पद्रोहाल्पमन्यव: । पुराधिग्दण्ड एवासीद् वाग्दण्डस्तदनन्तरम्
mṛdavaḥ satya-bhūyiṣṭhā alpa-drohālpamanyavaḥ | purā dhig-daṇḍa evāsīd vāg-daṇḍas tad-anantaram ||
Humatsena sprach: „In früheren Zeiten waren die Menschen sanft, zumeist wahrhaftig, selten verräterisch und langsam zum Zorn. Damals bestand die Strafe zunächst nur in Tadel und moralischer Missbilligung; erst danach kam die Züchtigung durch harte Worte auf.“
हुमत्सेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Humatsena presents an ethical history of society: when people are gentle, truthful, and self-controlled, social correction can be minimal—mere moral censure suffices. As virtue declines, stronger forms of punishment arise, beginning with verbal chastisement.
In the Shanti Parva’s discourse on dharma and governance, Humatsena describes earlier social conditions and the evolution of disciplinary measures, contrasting an age of innate virtue with later reliance on punitive speech.