Shloka 331

धृतराष्ट्रस्य पश्चात्तापः तथा वनप्रस्थानानुज्ञा | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Remorse and Request for Forest-Retirement

Devanagari script

सभाविहारभेत्तारो वर्णानां च प्रदूषका: । हिरण्यदण्ड्या वध्याक्ष्‌ कर्तव्या देशकालत:

Transliteration

sabhāvihārabhettāro varṇānāṁ ca pradūṣakāḥ | hiraṇyadaṇḍyā vadhyāś ca kartavyā deśakālataḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “Those who violate the decorum of the royal assembly and those who corrupt the social orders (varṇas) should, according to place and time, be punished with fines in gold—or, where warranted, be put to death.”

Word by Word

सभा-विहार-भेत्तारःbreakers/disturbers of assembly-pleasures (public entertainments)

वर्णानाम्of the social classes (varṇas)

चand

प्रदूषकाःcorrupters/defilers

हिरण्य-दण्ड्याःto be punished by a fine of gold

वध्याःto be executed/killed

कर्तव्याःto be made/treated (thus); should be done (to them)

देश-कालतःaccording to place and time

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

sabhā (royal assembly/court)

varṇa (social orders)

hiraṇya (gold)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse states a principle of rājadharma: public order and moral-social integrity must be protected. Those who disrupt the dignity of the court or corrupt the varṇa-based social framework deserve proportionate punishment—typically fines, but in grave cases even capital punishment—always calibrated to context (place and time).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is reporting a normative rule about governance and discipline. The focus is not on a single incident but on prescribing how a ruler should respond to serious breaches of civic and social order, emphasizing contextual judgment (deśa-kāla).