Shloka 53
राजवृत्त-रक्षा-प्रणिधि-षाड्गुण्योपदेशः
Royal Conduct, Protection, Intelligence, and Policy Measures
महान्तं नरक॑ घोरमप्रतिष्ठमचेतनम् । पतन्ति चिररात्राय राजवित्तापहारिण:,राजाके धनका अपहरण करनेवाले मनुष्य दीर्घकालके लिये विशाल, भयंकर, अस्थिर और चेतनाशक्तिको लुप्त कर देनेवाले नरकमें गिरते हैं
mahāntaṃ narakaṃ ghoraṃ apratiṣṭham acetanaṃ | patanti cirarātrāya rājavittāpahāriṇaḥ ||
Vasumanā said: Those who steal the king’s wealth fall into a vast and dreadful hell—without firm footing and bereft of consciousness—there to remain for a very long time. The verse frames theft from the ruler not merely as a civil offense but as a grave breach of dharma that brings severe post-mortem consequence.
वसुमना उवाच
Educational Q&A
Stealing from the king’s treasury is treated as a serious adharma with heavy karmic consequences; the verse warns that such offenders incur prolonged suffering in a dreadful hell, underscoring the sanctity of public wealth and the moral duty to protect social order.
In a didactic discourse within the Śānti Parva, Vasumanā states a specific consequence for a specific wrongdoing: those who rob royal wealth are said to fall into a terrifying, unstable hell for a long duration, as part of a broader teaching on conduct and retribution.