Shloka 32
Dasyu-maryādā and Buddhi-guided Rāja-nīti (दस्युमर्यादा तथा बुद्धिप्रधान-राजनीति)
पूजितस्यार्थमानाभ्यां जन्तो: पूर्वापकारिण: । मनो भवत्यविश्वस्तं कर्म त्रासयतेडबलान्
pūjitasya arthamānābhyāṃ jantoḥ pūrvāpakāriṇaḥ | mano bhavaty aviśvastaṃ karma trāsayate durbalān ||
Brahmadatta dit : Même si une créature qui jadis fit du tort aux autres est honorée par des dons et des marques de respect, son esprit ne devient pas confiant. C’est sa propre faute qui continue d’effrayer les faibles—et qui le hante, lui, de soupçon et de crainte du châtiment.
ब्रह्मदत्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
Past wrongdoing breeds inner distrust and fear; external honor or generosity cannot easily remove the anxiety created by one’s own unethical actions. Karma here is presented as an inner psychological force that unsettles the wrongdoer.
Brahmadatta is reflecting on the mindset of a former aggressor: even when treated kindly and respectfully, such a person remains suspicious and fearful because his own prior harmful conduct continues to trouble him.