Shanti Parva Adhyaya 167 Shloka 71 - Mahabharata | Sanskrit | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Shloka 71

बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account

On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics

Devanagari script

व्यड्भता च शरीरस्य वधो वानल्पकारणात्‌ । असेरेतानि रूपाणि दुर्वारादीनि निर्दिशेत्‌

Transliteration

vyāḍbhatā ca śarīrasya vadho vānalpakāraṇāt | aseretāni rūpāṇi durvārādīni nirdiśet ||

Translation

व्यङ्गता च शरीरस्य वधो वा नल्पकारणात्। असेरेतानि रूपाणि दुर्वारादीनि निर्दिशेत्॥

Word by Word

व्यड्भताmutilation / cutting off (of a limb)

चand

शरीरस्यof the body

वधःkilling / execution

वाor

अनल्पकारणात्from/for no small cause (i.e., for a grave reason)

असेरेतानिthese (forms/kinds) (reading uncertain)

रूपाणिforms / kinds

दुर्वारादीनिbeginning with ‘hard to ward off’ (i.e., irresistible etc.)

निर्दिशेत्should indicate / should prescribe

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

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?

Punishment (daṇḍa) must be dharma-based, proportionate to the offense, and publicly known. A ruler should protect all subjects impartially and restrain wrongdoing through graded penalties—verbal censure, monetary fines, corporal punishment, and, for major crimes, execution.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous governance, Bhīṣma advises Yudhiṣṭhira on statecraft: how a king should maintain order by prescribing and announcing clear categories of punishment, ensuring deterrence and fairness rather than arbitrary rule.