Shloka 25
मोक्षोपाय-निर्णयः
Determination of the Means to Liberation
वित्रास्यमाना: सुकृतो न कामादधघ्नन्ति दुष्कृतीन् । सुकृतेनैव राजानो भूयिष्ठं शासते प्रजा:
vitrāsyamānāḥ sukṛto na kāmād adhaghnanti duṣkṛtīn | sukṛtenaiva rājāno bhūyiṣṭhaṃ śāsate prajāḥ ||
Humatsena sprach: „Wenn man in den Menschen die Furcht vor Strafe weckt, wenden sie sich guter Lebensführung zu; darum ist der Zweck der Strafe, durch Abschreckung Dharma zu begründen, nicht Leben zu nehmen. Könige töten die Bösen nicht aus bloß persönlichem Begehren. Die besten Herrscher regieren ihre Untertanen zumeist lange durch die Tugend selbst — durch gute Taten und durch angemessenes, kultiviertes Verhalten.“
हुमत्सेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Punishment (daṇḍa) is primarily a tool of deterrence meant to generate fear that turns people toward righteous conduct; it is not meant for cruelty or killing driven by a ruler’s personal desire. Ideal kings rule mainly through their own virtue and good governance rather than frequent violent penalties.
In the Shanti Parva’s discourse on rājadharma, Humatsena explains the ethical rationale behind royal punishment: fear of penalty reforms behavior, so the king’s aim should be moral order and long-term stability, achieved chiefly through good conduct and just administration rather than arbitrary executions.