Shloka 20
Draupadī’s Lament and the Question of Kṣatriya Forbearance (द्रौपद्याः शोकप्रलापः क्षमानिर्णयश्च)
क्रोधाद् दण्डान्मनुष्येषु विविधान् पुरुषो5नयात् । भ्रश्यते शीघ्रमैश्वर्यात् प्राणेभ्य: स्वजनादपि,मनुष्य क्रोधवश अन्यायपूर्वक दूसरे लोगोंपर नाना प्रकारके दण्डका प्रयोग करके अपने ऐश्वर्य, प्राण और स्वजनोंसे भी हाथ धो बैठता है
krodhād daṇḍān manuṣyeṣu vividhān puruṣo 'nayāt | bhraśyate śīghram aiśvaryāt prāṇebhyaḥ svajanād api ||
From anger, a man—driven into unrighteousness—inflicts various punishments upon others. Quickly he falls away from his prosperity, and even loses his very life and the support of his own kin. The verse warns that anger, when it turns into unjust coercion, destroys both one’s power and one’s closest human bonds.
प्रह्माद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Anger that leads to unjust punishment (daṇḍa applied through a-naya) rapidly destroys a person’s prosperity and power, and can cost even life and family support; therefore restraint and righteous judgment are essential.
Prahlāda is giving moral instruction, warning about the destructive chain from anger to wrongful governance or conduct—especially the misuse of punishment against others—and the resulting collapse of one’s fortune, safety, and relationships.