Shloka 5
मोक्षोपाय-निर्णयः
Determination of the Means to Liberation
इुमत्सेन उवाच अथ चेदवधो धर्मो5धर्म: को जातु चिद् भवेत् | दस्यवश्नेन्न हन्येरन् सत्यवन् संकरो भवेत्,द्युमत्सेनने कहा--बेटा सत्यवान्! यदि अपराधीका वध न करना भी कभी धर्म हो तो अधर्म क्या हो सकता है? यदि चोर-डाकू मारे न जाय॑ँ तो प्रजामें वर्णसंकरता और धर्मसंकरता फैल जाय
dyumatsena uvāca | atha ced avadho dharmo 'dharmaḥ ko jātu cid bhavet | dasyavaś cen na hanyeran satyavan saṅkaro bhavet ||
Dyumatsena berkata: “Wahai Satyavān, jika tidak membunuh bahkan orang yang bersalah pun pernah disebut ‘dharma’, maka apa lagi yang dapat disebut ‘adharma’? Sebab bila para pencuri dan perampok tidak dihukum dan dibinasakan, kekacauan tatanan sosial dan percampuran tata moral akan merebak di tengah rakyat.”
इुमत्सेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse argues that protecting dharma may require firm punishment of wrongdoers; if even the guilty are never restrained, adharma spreads and society falls into moral and social disorder (saṅkara).
Dyumatsena addresses Satyavān, reasoning about governance and justice: he challenges the idea that sparing criminals is always righteous, warning that unchecked thieves and bandits lead to widespread disorder among the people.