Shloka 17
Draupadī’s Exhortation on Rājadharma and Daṇḍa (द्रौपद्याः राजधर्मोपदेशः)
यस्मिन् क्षमा च क्रोधश्व दानादाने भयाभये । निग्रहानुग्रहौ चोभौ स वै धर्मविदुच्यते
yasmin kṣamā ca krodhaś ca dānādāne bhayābhaye | nigrahānugrahau cobhau sa vai dharmavid ucyate ||
Dia disebut mengetahui dharma: yang menurut waktu dan keadaan, menampakkan kedua-duanya—kesabaran dan kemarahan yang benar; yang memberi dan, apabila kewajiban menuntut, juga mengambil; yang mampu menimbulkan gentar pada musuh namun menganugerahkan rasa aman kepada mereka yang memohon perlindungan; yang mengekang orang jahat dengan hukuman, tetapi menunjukkan belas kasih dan kurnia kepada yang tertindas.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True knowledge of dharma is not one-sided softness or harshness; it is balanced discernment—knowing when to forgive and when to be stern, when to give and when to take for justice, when to threaten wrongdoers and when to protect the vulnerable, combining punishment (nigraha) with compassion (anugraha).
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous governance and conduct, the speaker defines the marks of a dharma-knower by listing paired virtues that must be applied according to time and context, a framework especially relevant to rulers and those responsible for social order.