Shloka 21
अज्ञान–लोभयोः परस्परहेतुत्वम्
Mutual Causality of Ignorance and Greed
हिमाग्निघोरसद्शो राजा भवति कश्चन | लांगलाशनिकल्पो वा भवेदन्य: परंतप
himāgni-ghora-sadṛśo rājā bhavati kaścana | lāṅgalāśani-kalpo vā bhaved anyaḥ parantapa ||
シャウナカは言った。「王たちの中には、雪のように冷ややかで人を安らがせる者もいれば、火のように灼きつける者もいる。死そのもののごとく恐るべき者もいる。さらに、鋤や雷のように、悪を根こそぎ引き抜き、アダルマをなす者を不意に打ち倒す者もいる。かくのごとく、統治者は気質も、秩序を守りアダルマを罰するやり方もさまざまである。」
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Rulership expresses itself in different temperaments—gentle restraint, fiery severity, fear-inducing authority, or sudden decisive punishment—but the ethical point is that a king’s power is meant to protect order by restraining and uprooting adharma.
Śaunaka characterizes various kinds of kings through vivid similes (snow, fire, Death, plough, thunderbolt), setting up a discussion on how rulers administer discipline and maintain social order.