Shloka 74
वेन-पृथु-प्रादुर्भावः, राजधर्मः, पृथिवीदोहनम्
Vena–Pṛthu Episode and the Milking of Earth
एकस्मिन् यत्र निधनं प्रापिते दुष्टचारिणि बहूनां भवति क्षेमं तस्य पुण्यप्रदो वधः
ekasmin yatra nidhanaṃ prāpite duṣṭacāriṇi bahūnāṃ bhavati kṣemaṃ tasya puṇyaprado vadhaḥ
When death is inflicted upon a single wrongdoer and, by that act, the welfare and safety of many are secured, then such slaying is held to bestow merit, for it upholds the common good.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Concept: Punishment of a single wrongdoer can be dharmic and merit-producing when it secures the safety of many and is undertaken for protection, not cruelty.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Support accountability systems that minimize harm, focus on public welfare, and avoid vindictiveness; apply ‘least harm for greatest protection’ reasoning.
Vishishtadvaita: Dharma is teleological—aimed at loka-saṃgraha (holding the world together); rightful coercion participates in the Lord’s sustaining order rather than opposing compassion.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
FAQs
This verse frames punishment as dharmic when it protects many; the moral center is public welfare (kṣema), not vengeance.
In the Parāśara–Maitreya dialogue, force is justified only as danda (lawful restraint) aimed at preventing wider harm and sustaining social order.
Though Vishnu is not named here, the ethic reflects Vaishnava cosmology where dharma is part of Vishnu’s sustaining sovereignty—actions that preserve order align with the sustaining principle of the Supreme.