Shloka 108
Adhyāya 199: Karma–Jñāna Causality and the Nirguṇa Brahman
Manu’s Instruction
तौ चोवाच स राजर्षि: कृतकार्यों गमिष्यथ: । नेदानीं मामिहासाद्य राजधर्मो भवेन्मृषा
tau covāca sa rājarṣiḥ: kṛtakāryau gamiṣyathaḥ | nedānīṃ mām ihāsādya rājadharmo bhaven mṛṣā ||
Alors le roi-sage dit aux deux : « Vous ne partirez qu’après que votre affaire aura été réglée comme il se doit. Puisque vous êtes venus à moi ici et maintenant, ne vous en allez pas sans que votre dessein soit accompli. Je crains qu’autrement le devoir de justice du roi ne devienne mensonger — et même souillé. »
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king must ensure that those who seek justice receive a completed resolution; otherwise rājadharma (royal duty) becomes ‘mṛṣā’—discredited or morally compromised. The verse stresses accountability and the ethical necessity of finishing adjudication once petitioners have approached the ruler.
A royal sage addresses two parties who have come before him with a matter in dispute. He instructs them not to leave immediately, but to remain until their business is properly concluded, expressing concern that failing to complete the process would tarnish the integrity of royal justice.