Shloka 21
राजधर्मः—प्रमादवर्जनं, दण्डनीतिः, दुर्बलरक्षणम्
Royal Dharma: Vigilance, Just Punishment, Protection of the Vulnerable
यदि नात्मनि पुत्रेषु न चेत् पौत्रेषु नप्तृषु । न हि पापं कृतं कर्म सद्य:ः फलति गौरिव,यदि पापका फल अपनेको नहीं मिला तो वह पुत्रों तथा नाती-पोतोंको अवश्य मिलता है। जैसे पृथ्वीमें बोया हुआ बीज तुरंत फल नहीं देता, उसी प्रकार किया हुआ पाप भी तत्काल फल नहीं देता (समय आनेपर ही उसका फल मिलता है)
yadi nātmani putreṣu na cet pautreṣu naptṛṣu | na hi pāpaṁ kṛtaṁ karma sadyaḥ phalati gaur iva ||
यदि नात्मनि पुत्रेषु न चेत् पौत्रेषु नप्तृषु । न हि पापं कृतं कर्म सद्यः फलति गौरिव ॥
उतथ्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches delayed moral causality: sinful actions may not produce visible results immediately, but their consequences inevitably mature in time—sometimes affecting one’s descendants if not experienced by the doer.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and conduct, the sage Utathya explains to his listener that wrongdoing is never truly ‘unpaid’; like a seed in the earth, it ripens and bears fruit later, even across generations.