Shloka 8
The Origin of the Daṇḍaka Forest and Rāma’s Dharma-Judgment
Vulture vs. Owl
प्रीतोस्मि परमोदार कर्मणा ते न संशयः । दंडेन च प्रजा रक्ष न च दंडमकारणम्
prītosmi paramodāra karmaṇā te na saṃśayaḥ | daṃḍena ca prajā rakṣa na ca daṃḍamakāraṇam
ਹੇ ਪਰਮ ਉਦਾਰ! ਮੈਂ ਤੇਰੇ ਕਰਮਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਪ੍ਰਸੰਨ ਹਾਂ, ਇਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਕੋਈ ਸੰਦੇਹ ਨਹੀਂ। ਨਿਆਂਯੁਕਤ ਦੰਡ ਨਾਲ ਪ੍ਰਜਾ ਦੀ ਰੱਖਿਆ ਕਰ, ਪਰ ਬਿਨਾ ਕਾਰਨ ਕਦੇ ਦੰਡ ਨਾ ਦੇ।
Unspecified (a senior authority instructing/praising a ruler; exact speaker not provided in the input excerpt)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Sandhi Resolution Notes: प्रीतोस्मि = प्रीतः + अस्मि; परमोदार = परम + उदार (समासरहित संधि/उपपद-सम्बन्ध); दंडमकारणम् = दण्डम् + अकारणम्.
FAQs
It frames punishment as a protective tool of rule: it should be used to safeguard society and uphold order, but it must be grounded in a valid reason—never arbitrary or vindictive.
No explicit tīrtha or geographic reference appears in this verse; it focuses on ethical governance (rāja-dharma) and the principle of non-arbitrary discipline.
The ethical core is proportionality and justice: leaders should protect people firmly when needed, yet avoid cruelty by ensuring punishment is always justified.