Shloka 213
Satya–Anṛta Viveka (Discrimination between Truth and Falsehood) | सत्य–अनृत विवेकः
दण्डेनैव स हन्तव्यस्तं पन्थानं समाश्रित: । जो कोई धर्मसाधक मनुष्य धार्मिक आचारसे भ्रष्ट हो पापमार्गका आश्रय ले, उसे अवश्य दण्डके द्वारा मारना चाहिये
daṇḍenaiva sa hantavyas taṃ panthānaṃ samāśritaḥ |
ພີສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: ຜູ້ໃດທີ່ໄດ້ເລືອກເສັ້ນທາງນັ້ນ—ແມ່ນຜູ້ປະພຶດທຳມະແຕ່ກັບຫຼຸດອອກຈາກຈັນຍາອັນຊອບ ແລະໄປພຶງພາເສັ້ນທາງບາບ—ຄວນຖືກຄວບຄຸມ ແລະຖ້າຈຳເປັນກໍຄວນຖືກກຳຈັດດ້ວຍການລົງໂທດຕາມກົດໝາຍ. ນ້ຳໜັກຂອງຄຳສອນຢູ່ທີ່ການປົກປ້ອງລະບຽບສັງຄົມ ໂດຍເຫັນການພັງທະລາຍທາງຈິດທຳຢ່າງຈົ່ງໃຈເປັນອັນຕະລາຍຫນັກຕໍ່ສາທາລະນະ ບໍ່ແມ່ນແຕ່ຄວາມຜິດສ່ວນຕົວ.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that when a person who is expected to uphold dharma deliberately abandons righteous conduct and adopts a sinful path, the king’s duty of daṇḍa (lawful punishment) must be applied decisively—even to the extent of capital penalty—so that dharma and public safety are preserved.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on rājadharma (the duties of kingship). Here he states a strict principle of governance: serious moral and social transgression, especially by those who should model dharma, warrants severe legal punishment to prevent the spread of adharma.