Shloka 10
Duḥṣantasya Vana-praveśaḥ
King Duḥṣanta’s Entry into the Forest Hunt
धर्मशीला जनपदा: सुसंतोषाश्न साधव: । न च मिथ्याप्रलापो>त्र स्वैरेष्वपि कुतोडन्यथा
dharmaśīlā janapadāḥ susantoṣāś ca sādhavaḥ | na ca mithyāpralāpo 'tra svair eṣv api kuto 'nyathā ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Rakyat negeri itu teguh berpegang pada dharma—berpuas hati dan berbudi. Di negara itu tiada kata-kata dusta atau senda-gurau yang sia-sia; bahkan dalam hal yang diserahkan kepada pilihan sendiri, bagaimana mungkin ada penyimpangan daripada yang benar?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A society grounded in dharma is marked by contentment, virtue, and truthfulness; when people are ethically formed, even personal freedom (svaira) does not lead to wrongdoing or ‘otherwise’ conduct.
Vaiśampāyana is describing the moral character of a particular country’s inhabitants, emphasizing their righteous nature and the absence of false speech as a sign of a well-ordered, dharmic community.