Shloka 33
Gārhasthya-Śreṣṭhatā and Kṣatriya-Daṇḍadhāraṇa
Householder Primacy and the Royal Duty of Punishment
सुद्युग्न उवाच प्रमाणं चेन्मतो राजा भवतो दण्डधारणे । अनुज्ञायामपि तथा हेतु: स्याद् ब्राह्मणर्षभ,सुद्युम्नने कहा--ब्राह्मणशिरोमणे! यदि आप दण्ड देनेमें राजाको प्रमाण मानते हैं तो वह क्षमा करके आपको लौट जानेकी आज्ञा दे दे, इसका भी उसे अधिकार है
sudyumna uvāca pramāṇaṃ cenmato rājā bhavato daṇḍadhāraṇe | anujñāyām api tathā hetuḥ syād brāhmaṇarṣabha ||
Sudyumna said: “O best of Brahmins, if you regard the king as the rightful authority in the matter of wielding punishment, then that same authority also extends to granting leave—he may forgive and permit you to depart. The very principle you cite as the basis for punishment must equally serve as the basis for release.”
सुद्युग्न उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate authority must be applied consistently: if the king is accepted as the standard for punishment (daṇḍa), then the king’s power to forgive and grant leave is equally valid. Dharma in governance includes both chastisement and mercy.
Sudyumna addresses a revered Brahmin and argues from the Brahmin’s own premise: acknowledging royal authority in administering punishment necessarily implies acknowledging royal authority to pardon and permit departure as well.