Shloka 69

Matsya Purana — Tārakāsura’s Austerity and Boon; Mobilization for War; Bṛhaspati’s Fourfold P...

Devanagari script

एको ऽभ्युपायो दण्डो ऽत्र भवतां यदि रोचते दुर्जनेषु कृतं साम महद्याति च वन्ध्यताम् //

Transliteration

eko 'bhyupāyo daṇḍo 'tra bhavatāṃ yadi rocate durjaneṣu kṛtaṃ sāma mahadyāti ca vandhyatām //

Translation

If it pleases you, there is but one effective remedy here—punishment (daṇḍa). Conciliation (sāma) applied to wicked people becomes wholly futile and ends in great failure.

Word by Word

• ekaḥ: one

• abhyupāyaḥ: practical means/remedy

• daṇḍaḥ: punishment/royal chastisement

• atra: here/in this matter

• bhavatām: for you (honorific plural)

• yadi: if

• rocate: pleases/seems right

• durjaneṣu: toward wicked persons

• kṛtam: done/applied

• sāma: conciliation/peaceful persuasion

• mahat: great

• yāti: goes/comes to

• ca: and

• vandhyatām: barrenness/futility/sterility (i.e., ineffectiveness)

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (instructing Vaivasvata Manu on rajadharma/statecraft)

Entities Mentioned

• Matsya
• Manu
• Daṇḍa
• Sāma

Tags

• Rajadharma
• Daṇḍa-nīti
• Statecraft
• Dharma
• Ethics

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the creation or dissolution (Pralaya)?

This verse is not about pralaya; it is a rajadharma instruction emphasizing that punishment (daṇḍa) is the effective tool when dealing with the incorrigibly wicked.

How does this verse relate to the duties of a King or Householder?

It frames a king’s duty to protect society by applying daṇḍa when peaceful persuasion (sāma) cannot reform wrongdoers—highlighting governance as a moral responsibility, not mere force.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No vastu, temple-building, or ritual procedure is mentioned; the technical focus is political ethics (daṇḍa-nīti) within the Matsya Purana’s rajadharma material.