Shloka 19
मोक्षोपाय-निर्णयः
Determination of the Means to Liberation
मृदव: सत्य भूयिष्ठा अल्पद्रोहाल्पमन्यव: । पुराधिग्दण्ड एवासीद् वाग्दण्डस्तदनन्तरम्
mṛdavaḥ satya-bhūyiṣṭhā alpa-drohālpamanyavaḥ | purā dhig-daṇḍa evāsīd vāg-daṇḍas tad-anantaram ||
フマトセーナは言った。「いにしえ、人々は柔和で、概して真実を守り、裏切りは稀で、怒りも遅かった。その頃、罰はまず非難と道義的な不名誉だけであり、のちに厳しい言葉による処罰が用いられるようになった。」
हुमत्सेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Humatsena presents an ethical history of society: when people are gentle, truthful, and self-controlled, social correction can be minimal—mere moral censure suffices. As virtue declines, stronger forms of punishment arise, beginning with verbal chastisement.
In the Shanti Parva’s discourse on dharma and governance, Humatsena describes earlier social conditions and the evolution of disciplinary measures, contrasting an age of innate virtue with later reliance on punitive speech.