Shloka 38
Gārhasthya-Śreṣṭhatā and Kṣatriya-Daṇḍadhāraṇa
Householder Primacy and the Royal Duty of Punishment
शंख उवाच न कुप्ये तव धर्मज्ञ न त्वं दूषयसे मम । सुनिर्मलं कुल ब्रह्म॒न्नस्मिन् जगति विश्रुतम् । धर्मस्तु ते व्यतिक्रान्तस्ततस्ते निष्कृति: कृता,शंख बोले--धर्मज्ञ! मैं तुमपर कुपित नहीं हूँ। तुम मेरा कोई अपराध नहीं करते हो। ब्रह्मन! हम दोनोंका कुल इस जगत्में अत्यन्त निर्मल एवं निष्कलंक रूपमें विख्यात है। तुमने धर्मका उल्लंघन किया था, अतः उसीका प्रायश्रित्त किया है
śaṅkha uvāca | na kupye tava dharmajña na tvaṃ dūṣayase mama | sunirmalaṃ kula brahmann asmin jagati viśrutam | dharmas tu te vyatikrāntas tatas te niṣkṛtiḥ kṛtā ||
Śaṅkha berkata: “Wahai yang mengetahui dharma, aku tidak murka kepadamu; engkau tidak melakukan kesalahan terhadapku. Wahai brāhmaṇa, keturunan kita masyhur di dunia ini sebagai amat suci dan tidak bercela. Namun engkau telah melanggar dharma—maka penebusan (prāyaścitta) itu kini telah terlaksana.”
शंख उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral fault is treated as a breach of dharma that calls for niṣkṛti (expiation), and once expiation is fulfilled, resentment is set aside. The verse links personal conduct with the ethical reputation of one’s lineage, emphasizing accountability without vindictiveness.
Śaṅkha addresses a brāhmaṇa, declaring he bears no anger and has not been personally wronged. He notes their lineage is famed for purity, then states that the other party had violated dharma and has now completed the required atonement—closing the matter ethically.