Adhyaya 70 — The King Confronts the Rakshasa and Restores the Brahmin’s Wife
राजोवाच स्वभावं वयमश्नीमस्त्वयोक्तं यन्निशाचर ।
तदर्थिनो वयं येन कार्येण शृणु तन्मम ॥
rājovāca svabhāvaṃ vayam aśnīmas tvayoktaṃ yan niśācara |
tad-arthino vayaṃ yena kāryeṇa śṛṇu tan mama ||
राजोवाच— स्वभावतः कार्याणि वयं गृह्णीमः, हे निशाचर, यथोक्तं त्वया। अस्माकमपि प्रयोजनं विद्यते— तस्य कार्यं शृणु, यत् प्रसादस्य निमित्तम्।
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "vira", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
The king treats the rākṣasa’s ‘nature’ as a given and attempts to channel it toward a desired outcome. The moral tension is whether governance may instrumentalize adharma to correct another adharma.
Upākhyāna (instructional tale) illustrating rajadharma in practice; not a pancalakṣaṇa core topic.
Acknowledging ‘svabhāva’ reflects realism about guṇas/instincts; the spiritual challenge is transforming nature rather than merely bargaining with it.