Shloka 11
Kāpavya-carita (कापव्यचरित) — Reforming Dasyus through Regulated Rāja-Dharma
बहवो ग्रामवास्तव्या रोषाद् ब्रूयु: परस्परम् । न तेषां वचनाद् राजा सत्कुर्याद् घातयीत वा
bahavo grāmavāstavya roṣād brūyuḥ parasparam | na teṣāṁ vacanād rājā satkuryād ghātayīta vā ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Lorsque de nombreux villageois, poussés par la colère, s’accusent les uns les autres—louant certains et blâmant d’autres—devant le roi, le souverain ne doit pas, sur la seule foi de leurs paroles, punir quiconque ni accorder des honneurs à quiconque. Un roi ne doit pas laisser les querelles publiques et les récits partisans fonder son jugement ; il n’agira qu’après une enquête attentive.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must not base punishment or honor solely on angry, partisan reports. Justice requires restraint and verification; public quarrels and mutual accusations are unreliable grounds for royal action.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rāja-dharma, Bhishma advises the king (Yudhiṣṭhira contextually) that when villagers come in anger accusing and praising each other, the king should neither punish nor reward merely on their testimony.