Shloka 44
Gārhasthya-Śreṣṭhatā and Kṣatriya-Daṇḍadhāraṇa
Householder Primacy and the Royal Duty of Punishment
शंख उवाच एवमेतन्मया कार्य नाहं दण्डधरस्तव । सच पूतो नरपतिस्त्वं चापि पितृभि: सह,शंख बोले--भाई! यह ठीक है, मैं ऐसा कर सकता था; परंतु मुझे तुम्हें दण्ड देनेका अधिकार नहीं है। दण्ड देनेका कार्य तो राजाका ही है। इस प्रकार दण्ड देकर राजा सुद्युम्न और उस दण्डको स्वीकार करके तुम पितरोंसहित पवित्र हो गये
śaṅkha uvāca | evam etan mayā kāryaṁ nāhaṁ daṇḍadharas tava | sa ca pūto narapatis tvaṁ cāpi pitṛbhiḥ saha ||
Śaṅkha dijo: «Así es; ciertamente podría haber obrado de ese modo. Pero no soy yo quien empuña el castigo en tu caso: no tengo autoridad para reprenderte. La tarea de administrar el castigo pertenece sólo al rey. Al imponerlo, el rey (Sudyumna) quedó purificado; y al aceptarlo, tú también—junto con tus antepasados—has quedado purificado.»
शंख उवाच
Educational Q&A
Punishment (daṇḍa) is a regulated function of legitimate authority—primarily the king. Even if one has the capacity to act, dharma requires acting within one’s rightful jurisdiction; properly administered and properly accepted punishment is portrayed as morally purifying.
Śaṅkha clarifies that although he could have taken action, he is not entitled to punish the other party. He affirms that the king alone bears that mandate; the king’s act of punishing and the offender’s acceptance of it are both framed as leading to purification, extending even to the offender’s ancestral line.