Shloka 17
Draupadī’s Exhortation on Rājadharma and Daṇḍa (द्रौपद्याः राजधर्मोपदेशः)
यस्मिन् क्षमा च क्रोधश्व दानादाने भयाभये । निग्रहानुग्रहौ चोभौ स वै धर्मविदुच्यते
yasmin kṣamā ca krodhaś ca dānādāne bhayābhaye | nigrahānugrahau cobhau sa vai dharmavid ucyate ||
On appelle connaisseur du dharma celui en qui, selon le temps et les circonstances, naissent à la fois la patience et la juste colère ; qui sait donner et, lorsque le devoir l’exige, aussi prendre ; qui peut inspirer la crainte aux ennemis tout en accordant l’absence de peur à ceux qui cherchent refuge ; et qui réprime les méchants par le châtiment, tout en montrant compassion et faveur aux affligés.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True knowledge of dharma is not one-sided softness or harshness; it is balanced discernment—knowing when to forgive and when to be stern, when to give and when to take for justice, when to threaten wrongdoers and when to protect the vulnerable, combining punishment (nigraha) with compassion (anugraha).
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous governance and conduct, the speaker defines the marks of a dharma-knower by listing paired virtues that must be applied according to time and context, a framework especially relevant to rulers and those responsible for social order.