Shloka 13
मोक्षोपाय-निर्णयः
Determination of the Means to Liberation
उद्वेजनेन बन्धेन विरूपकरणेन च । वधदण्डेन ते क्लिश्या न पुरोहितसंसदि
udvejanena bandhena virūpakaraṇena ca | vadhadaṇḍena te kliśyā na purohitasaṃsadi ||
デュマツセーナは言った。「そのような罪人は、威嚇によって、拘禁によって、あるいは人目に明らかな身体の損傷を与えて標を残すことによって抑えよ。だが、家族に苦悩をもたらす死刑によって彼らを責め立ててはならぬ。また、たとえ彼らが祭司たるブラーフマナの会座に身を寄せ、その庇護を受けていようとも、王は彼らに極刑を加えてはならない。」
इुमत्सेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse advises proportional punishment: use deterrence, confinement, or other non-lethal penalties, but avoid the death penalty because it causes broader, unjust suffering—especially to the offender’s family—and should not be applied even when the offender has sought priestly refuge.
In the Śānti Parva’s discourse on governance and dharma, Dyumatsena instructs on how a king should punish wrongdoing, emphasizing restraint and rejecting capital punishment in this context, including cases involving sanctuary with a Brāhmaṇa priest or in a priestly assembly.