Shloka 25
राजधर्मः, दण्डनीतिः, कर्तृत्व-विचारः च
Royal Duty, Lawful Discipline, and the Question of Agency
तद् राजन् जीवमानस्त्वं प्रायश्षित्तं करिष्यसि । प्रायश्षित्तमकृत्वा तु प्रेत्य तप्तासि भारत
tad rājan jīvamānas tvaṁ prāyaścittaṁ kariṣyasi | prāyaścittam akṛtvā tu pretya taptāsi bhārata ||
तद् राजन् जीवमानस्त्वं प्रायश्चित्तं करिष्यसि । प्रायश्चित्तमकृत्वा तु प्रेत्य तप्तासि भारत ॥
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wrong actions require deliberate expiation while one has the opportunity; otherwise their consequences follow the person beyond death as suffering. The verse emphasizes accountability and the urgency of moral repair.
Vyāsa addresses a king of the Bharata line, warning him that if he survives he should perform prāyaścitta for his deeds, but if he dies without atonement he will suffer in the afterlife.