Shloka 33

Devanagari script

राजद्विषप्टे च विप्रस्य विषयान्ते विसर्जनम्‌ | विधीयते न शारीरं दण्डमेषां कदाचन,प्रजानाथ! इनमें कोई कलड्कित हो तो उसपर भी कृपा ही करनी चाहिये। ब्रह्महत्या, गुरुपत्नीगमन, भ्रूणहत्या तथा राजद्रोहका अपराध होनेपर भी ब्राह्मणको देशसे निकाल देनेका ही विधान है--उसे शारीरिक दण्ड कभी नहीं देना चाहिये

Transliteration

rājadvīṣa-pāṭe ca viprasya viṣayānte visarjanam | vidhīyate na śārīraṃ daṇḍam eṣāṃ kadācana prajānātha |

Translation

ରାଜାଙ୍କ ପ୍ରତି ଦ୍ୱେଷର ଦୋଷ ଥିଲେ ମଧ୍ୟ ବ୍ରାହ୍ମଣଙ୍କ ପାଇଁ ରାଜ୍ୟସୀମାର ଅନ୍ତ ପର୍ଯ୍ୟନ୍ତ ନିର୍ବାସନ ହିଁ ବିଧି। ହେ ପ୍ରଜାନାଥ! ଏମାନଙ୍କୁ କେବେ ଶାରୀରିକ ଦଣ୍ଡ ଦେବା ଉଚିତ ନୁହେଁ; ବ୍ରହ୍ମହତ୍ୟା, ଗୁରୁପତ୍ନୀଗମନ, ଭ୍ରୂଣହତ୍ୟା ଓ ରାଜଦ୍ରୋହ ପରି ମହାପାପ ଥିଲେ ମଧ୍ୟ ଦୟାସଂଯତ ନ୍ୟାୟରେ ଦେଶଛାଡ଼ା ହିଁ କରିବାକୁ କୁହାଯାଇଛି।

Word by Word

राजद्विषप्टेin (the case of) treason/hostility to the king

चand

विप्रस्यof a Brahmin

विषयान्तेat the boundary/end of the realm

विसर्जनम्banishment/expulsion (sending away)

विधीयतेis prescribed/ordained

नnot

शारीरम्bodily/physical

दण्डम्punishment

एषाम्of these (persons/offenders)

कदाचनever/at any time

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

King (addressed as Prajānātha)

Brahmin (vipra)

Realm/territory (viṣaya)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Royal punishment must be restrained by dharma: even in cases like hostility to the king, a Brahmin is to be punished by banishment to the frontier, not by bodily harm, reflecting a norm of protecting the Brahmin’s person and emphasizing mercy within justice.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rāja-dharma, Bhishma advises the king on legal penalties. Here he specifies that for a Brahmin accused of grave political offence (hostility/treason), the ordained response is expulsion from the kingdom rather than corporal punishment.