Shloka 22
Sāvitrī’s Report and Nārada’s Prognosis (सावित्र्याख्यान—सत्यवान्-गुणवर्णनं तथा अल्पायुषः पूर्वसूचना)
राजोवाच वरं ददानि ते हन्त तद् गृहाण यदिच्छसि । अवध्यो वध्यतां कोडउ्द्य वध्य: कोउ्द्य विमुच्यताम्
rājovāca varaṃ dadāni te hanta tad gṛhāṇa yad icchasi | avadhyo vadhyatāṃ ko 'dya vadhyaḥ ko 'dya vimucyatām |
ກະສັດກ່າວວ່າ: “ມາເຖີດ, ຂ້າຈະປະທານພອນໃຫ້ເຈົ້າ—ຈົ່ງຮັບເອົາສິ່ງໃດກໍຕາມທີ່ເຈົ້າປາຖະໜາ. ບອກຂ້າມາ: ມື້ນີ້ຈະໃຫ້ຂ້າລົງໂທດໃຜ ແມ່ນແຕ່ຜູ້ທີ່ບໍ່ຄວນຖືກລົງໂທດ? ແລະຈະໃຫ້ປ່ອຍໃຜ ແມ່ນແຕ່ຜູ້ທີ່ຄວນຖືກລົງໂທດ? (ເວົ້າມາ ແລະຈະເປັນຕາມນັ້ນ.)” ຖ້ອຍຄໍານີ້ວາງອໍານາດຣາຊະເປັນສິ່ງທີ່ໃຊ້ໄດ້ຕາມດຸນພິນິດ, ແຕ່ພ້ອມກັນນັ້ນກໍທົດສອບຢ່າງແຝງໆວ່າ ຄໍາຂໍຈະສອດຄ່ອງກັບທໍາ (dharma) ຫຼືເປັນແຕ່ອາລົມແລະຄວາມລໍາເອີຍ.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s power to punish or release is immense and must be exercised through dharma. The verse highlights how a ‘boon’ can become an ethical test: the request should not subvert justice, and the king’s discretion must be restrained by righteous norms rather than personal preference.
A king offers a boon and invites the recipient to state any desire. He explicitly extends this to judicial acts—punishing someone normally exempt or freeing someone normally punishable—thereby signaling both his authority and the moral weight of what the recipient might ask.