Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 56
Dharmopadeśa-Śānti: Rules of Impurity, Expiations, and Ancestor Rites
तान्धर्मविन्घकर्तॄंश्च राजा दण्डेन पीडयेत् । न चैतान्पीडयेद्राजा कथंचित्काममोहितः ॥ ५६ ॥
tāndharmavinghakartṝṃśca rājā daṇḍena pīḍayet | na caitānpīḍayedrājā kathaṃcitkāmamohitaḥ || 56 ||
Der König soll jene, die das Dharma behindern, mit Strafe züchtigen. Doch darf der König sie niemals auf irgendeine Weise bestrafen, wenn er durch Begierde (kāma), durch persönliche Leidenschaft, verblendet ist.
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It frames punishment (daṇḍa) as a sacred instrument for protecting Dharma, insisting that the ruler’s inner purity—freedom from kāma-driven bias—is essential for justice to remain righteous rather than oppressive.
By warning against kāma-moha (delusion by desire), it supports a core Bhakti discipline: self-mastery and purity of intention. Governance aligned with Dharma becomes an offering of duty rather than an act of ego or craving.
It chiefly reflects Dharmaśāstra-style applied ethics (not a technical Vedanga lesson): the operational rule that daṇḍa must be administered impartially, free from personal desire—an essential principle for lawful conduct and social order.