Shloka 44
राजवृत्त-रक्षा-प्रणिधि-षाड्गुण्योपदेशः
Royal Conduct, Protection, Intelligence, and Policy Measures
अशुचींश्र यदा क्रुद्ध: क्षिणोति शतशो नरान् | सपुत्रपौत्रान् सामात्यांस्तदा भवति सो5न्तकः
aśucīn yathā kruddhaḥ kṣiṇoti śataśo narān | sa-putra-pautrān sa-mātyāṁs tadā bhavati so ’ntakaḥ ||
ਜਦੋਂ ਰਾਜਾ ਕ੍ਰੋਧ ਵਿੱਚ ਆ ਕੇ ਅਸ਼ੁੱਧ ਆਚਰਨ ਵਾਲੇ ਮਨੁੱਖਾਂ ਨੂੰ—ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਪੁੱਤਰਾਂ, ਪੌਤਰਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਅਮਾਤਿਆਂ ਸਮੇਤ—ਸੈਂਕੜਿਆਂ ਦੀ ਗਿਣਤੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਨਾਸ ਕਰ ਦਿੰਦਾ ਹੈ, ਤਦੋਂ ਉਹ ਅੰਤਕ, ਅਰਥਾਤ ਮੌਤ-ਸਰੂਪ ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
वसुमना उवाच
Educational Q&A
Royal authority must be governed by dharma and restraint. When a ruler punishes in anger and wipes out people wholesale—along with their families and officials—his rule becomes indistinguishable from Death, i.e., destructive rather than protective.
Vasumanā describes a scenario of a king, overcome by wrath, carrying out mass destruction of men deemed impure, extending the slaughter to their descendants and ministers. The statement functions as a moral diagnosis of tyrannical, anger-driven governance within the rājadharma discussion of Śānti Parva.