Shloka 35
मोक्षोपाय-निर्णयः
Determination of the Means to Liberation
अथ प्रथमकल्पेन सत्यवन् संकरो भवेत् | आयु: शक्ति च कालं॑ च निर्दिश्य तप आदिशेत्
atha prathamakalpena satyavān saṅkaro bhavet | āyuḥ śaktiṃ ca kālaṃ ca nirdiśya tapa ādiśet |
Dijo Humatsena: «Entonces, aun mediante el primer procedimiento (el más benigno), incluso un hombre como Satyavān puede caer en una confusa mezcla de dharma y adharma. Por ello, considerando la vida, la fuerza y las circunstancias del tiempo del culpable, el rey debe prescribir una disciplina punitiva adecuada.»
हुमत्सेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Punishment should be proportionate and context-sensitive: the ruler must weigh the offender’s age/lifespan, strength/capacity, and the time/circumstances, and then prescribe a corrective discipline (tapas) that prevents a harmful mixing of dharma and adharma.
Humatsena is instructing on rajadharma (the king’s duty of governance). He warns that even a ‘Satyavān’ can slip into moral confusion, so the king must respond with measured, appropriate punishment after assessing relevant personal and situational factors.