Shloka 19
Adhyāya 177: Pañca-mahābhūta-vicāra and Vṛkṣa-jīva-lakṣaṇa
Five Elements Inquiry and the Status of Plant Life
तमतिक्रान्तमर्यादमाददानं ततस्ततः । प्रतिषेधन्ति राजानो लुब्धा मृगमिवेषुभि:
tam atikrāntamaryādam ādādānaṃ tataḥ tataḥ | pratiṣedhanti rājāno lubdhā mṛgam iveṣubhiḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : Lorsqu’un homme franchit les limites de la maryādā (la règle légitime) et, par le pillage, s’empare de richesses çà et là, les rois le répriment par un châtiment sévère—comme le chasseur arrête d’une flèche la fuite du cerf.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Those who violate maryādā by predatory taking and plunder must be checked by the ruler; punishment is presented as a necessary instrument of rāja-dharma to protect society and uphold ethical boundaries.
Bhishma describes a wrongdoer who roams about seizing wealth unlawfully; he says kings restrain such a person through harsh penalties, using the simile of hunters halting a deer’s movement with arrows.