Shloka 21
प्रमीयते चास्य प्रजा हकाले सदा विवासं पितरो<सस््य कुर्वते । भीतं प्रपन्न॑ प्रददाति शत्रवे सेन्द्रा देवा: प्रहरन्त्यस्य वज्ञम्
pramīyate cāsya prajā hy akāle sadā vivāsaṃ pitaro 'sya kurvate | bhītaṃ prapannaṃ pradadāti śatrave sendrā devāḥ praharanti 'sya vajram ||
“His offspring die before their time; his ancestors (pitṛs) are made to dwell continually in hell. Whoever hands over to the enemy one who has come seeking refuge in fear—the gods, led by Indra, strike him with the vajra, the thunderbolt.”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Protecting one who is frightened and has sought refuge is a binding duty; betraying such a suppliant to an enemy is adharma that brings ruin to one’s lineage, harms one’s ancestors, and incurs divine punishment.
Śalya is warning about the moral and cosmic consequences of delivering a surrendered, fearful person into an enemy’s hands, emphasizing that such treachery is condemned by both ancestral order and the gods.