Shloka 13
मोक्षोपाय-निर्णयः
Determination of the Means to Liberation
उद्वेजनेन बन्धेन विरूपकरणेन च । वधदण्डेन ते क्लिश्या न पुरोहितसंसदि
udvejanena bandhena virūpakaraṇena ca | vadhadaṇḍena te kliśyā na purohitasaṃsadi ||
Dyumatsena dit : «Que de tels coupables soient contenus par l’intimidation, par l’emprisonnement, ou par une mutilation qui les marque visiblement ; mais qu’on ne les tourmente pas par la peine de mort, qui n’apporte que détresse à leurs familles. De même, même s’ils ont cherché refuge dans l’assemblée ou sous la protection d’un prêtre brāhmaṇa, le roi ne doit pas leur infliger le châtiment capital.»
इुमत्सेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse advises proportional punishment: use deterrence, confinement, or other non-lethal penalties, but avoid the death penalty because it causes broader, unjust suffering—especially to the offender’s family—and should not be applied even when the offender has sought priestly refuge.
In the Śānti Parva’s discourse on governance and dharma, Dyumatsena instructs on how a king should punish wrongdoing, emphasizing restraint and rejecting capital punishment in this context, including cases involving sanctuary with a Brāhmaṇa priest or in a priestly assembly.