Shloka 22
राजधर्मः—प्रमादवर्जनं, दण्डनीतिः, दुर्बलरक्षणम्
Royal Dharma: Vigilance, Just Punishment, Protection of the Vulnerable
यत्राबलो वध्यमानस्त्रातारं नाधिगच्छति । महान् दैवकृतस्तत्र दण्ड: पतति दारुण:
yatrābalo vadhyamānas trātāraṁ nādhigacchati | mahān daivakṛtas tatra daṇḍaḥ patati dāruṇaḥ ||
Utathya déclare : «Là où un être sans défense est maltraité et ne trouve aucun protecteur, un châtiment grand et terrible — décrété par la loi divine — s’abat sur l’oppresseur pécheur.»
उतथ्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Oppression of the helpless inevitably invites retribution: if no human protector appears, divine/cosmic justice (daiva) itself imposes a severe punishment on the wrongdoer. The verse reinforces dharma as an inescapable moral order.
In the Śānti Parva’s dharma-instructional setting, the sage Utathya states a principle about punishment and protection: the weak may lack immediate worldly support, but the aggressor does not escape—daṇḍa, backed by daiva, descends upon the perpetrator.