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 ||
ຮຸມັດເສນາ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ໃນການເກົ່າກ່ອນ ຜູ້ຄົນອ່ອນໂຍນ ສັດຈິງເປັນສ່ວນໃຫຍ່ ບໍ່ຄ່ອຍຫັກຫຼັງ ແລະ ຊ້າຈະໂກດ. ໃນເວລານັ້ນ ການລົງໂທດແຕ່ດັ່ງເດີມແມ່ນພຽງການຕຳນິ ແລະ ການປະນາມທາງຄຸນທຳ; ຕໍ່ມາ ຈຶ່ງເກີດການລົງໂທດດ້ວຍຖ້ອຍຄຳຮຸນແຮງ.»
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.