Shloka 20
Vāmadeva’s Rājadharma: Norm-Setting, Counsel, and the Prevention of Rāṣṭra-Vināśa (वामदेव-प्रोक्तं राजधर्मम्)
अपकृत्य बलस्थस्य दूरस्थोस्मीति नाश्वसेत् श्येनाभिपतनैरेते निपतन्ति प्रमाद्यतः
apakṛtya balasthasya dūrastho'smīti nāśvaset | śyenābhipatanair ete nipatanti pramādyataḥ ||
वामदेव बोले—बलवान का अपकार करके ‘मैं तो दूर हूँ’ ऐसा समझकर निश्चिन्त न हो; क्योंकि बाज के झपट्टे की भाँति, प्रमाद करने वाले पर ये परिणाम अचानक टूट पड़ते हैं।
वामदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not become complacent after harming a powerful person; distance does not guarantee safety, and the results of wrongdoing can strike suddenly—especially when one is negligent.
In Shanti Parva’s instruction on conduct and prudence, Vāmadeva warns through a vivid simile: like hawks that suddenly swoop down, danger or retribution can swiftly reach a wrongdoer who relaxes merely because he is far away.