Adhyaya 70 — The King Confronts the Rakshasa and Restores the Brahmin’s Wife
राक्षस उवाच प्रापयामि तवादेशादिमां भर्तृगृहं प्रभो ।
यदन्यत्करणीयन्ते तदाज्ञापय पार्थिव ॥
rākṣasa uvāca prāpayāmi tavādeśād imāṃ bhartṛgṛhaṃ prabho / yad anyat karaṇīyante tad ājñāpaya pārthiva
Raksasa itu berkata: “Atas perintahmu, wahai tuanku, akan kuantar perempuan ini ke rumah suaminya. Apa pun yang masih harus dilakukan, perintahkan pula, wahai raja.”
Even a fearsome being can be bound to dharma through rightful authority and repentance. The king’s role includes ensuring restitution and safeguarding social order.
Manvantara-linked narrative illustrating dharma in practice; it functions as moral instruction embedded in a genealogical/epochal frame.
The rākṣasa represents untamed force; when subordinated to dharmic command, the same force becomes protective rather than predatory—an allegory for mastering impulses.