Shloka 26
Gārhasthya-Śreṣṭhatā and Kṣatriya-Daṇḍadhāraṇa
Householder Primacy and the Royal Duty of Punishment
गच्छ राजानमासाद्य स्वकर्म कथयस्व वै । अदत्तादानमेवं हि कृतं पार्थिवसत्तम
gaccha rājānam āsādya svakarma kathayasva vai | adattādānam evaṁ hi kṛtaṁ pārthivasattama ||
तब (व्यास ने) कहा— “जाओ, राजा के पास जाकर अपना कर्म स्पष्ट कहो। हे श्रेष्ठ नरेश, यह ‘अदत्त-दान’ ही हुआ है—जो दिया नहीं गया, उसे लेना/देना।”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should be transparent and accountable for one’s actions, especially regarding property and gifts. A ‘gift’ is dharmic only when it is rightfully one’s to give; giving what was not properly granted (adatta-dāna) is ethically flawed and must be acknowledged before rightful authority.
Vyāsa instructs someone to go directly to the king and report their own action. The statement frames the deed as ‘adatta-dāna’—an act involving giving or transferring something without proper authorization—implying the need for confession and rectification under royal oversight.