Shloka 25
मोक्षोपाय-निर्णयः
Determination of the Means to Liberation
वित्रास्यमाना: सुकृतो न कामादधघ्नन्ति दुष्कृतीन् । सुकृतेनैव राजानो भूयिष्ठं शासते प्रजा:
vitrāsyamānāḥ sukṛto na kāmād adhaghnanti duṣkṛtīn | sukṛtenaiva rājāno bhūyiṣṭhaṃ śāsate prajāḥ ||
フマトセーナは言った。「人々に刑罰への恐れを起こさせれば、善き行いへと向かう。ゆえに刑罰の目的は、威嚇によってダルマを立てることであり、命を奪うことではない。王は私欲のままに悪人を殺すのではない。最良の統治者は、多くの場合、徳そのものによって—善行と正しく洗練された振る舞いによって—長く民を治める。」
हुमत्सेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Punishment (daṇḍa) is primarily a tool of deterrence meant to generate fear that turns people toward righteous conduct; it is not meant for cruelty or killing driven by a ruler’s personal desire. Ideal kings rule mainly through their own virtue and good governance rather than frequent violent penalties.
In the Shanti Parva’s discourse on rājadharma, Humatsena explains the ethical rationale behind royal punishment: fear of penalty reforms behavior, so the king’s aim should be moral order and long-term stability, achieved chiefly through good conduct and just administration rather than arbitrary executions.