Shloka 25
Gārhasthya-Śreṣṭhatā and Kṣatriya-Daṇḍadhāraṇa
Householder Primacy and the Royal Duty of Punishment
तमब्रवीत् तथा शंखस्तीव्ररोषसमन्वित: । स्तेयं त्वया कृतमिदं फलान्याददता स्वयम्,तब शंखने तीव्र रोषमें भरकर कहा--“तुमने मुझसे पूछे बिना स्वयं ही फल लेकर यह चोरी की है
tam abravīt tathā Śaṅkhas tīvra-roṣa-samanvitaḥ | steyaṃ tvayā kṛtam idaṃ phalāny ādadatā svayam ||
అప్పుడు శంఖుడు తీవ్రమైన కోపంతో అన్నాడు— “అడగకుండా నీవే ఫలాలు తీసుకున్నావు; ఇది నీవు చేసిన దొంగతనమే.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even small acts like taking fruit become adharma when done without permission; rightful ownership and consent are central to ethical conduct, and ‘steya’ (theft) is defined by unauthorized taking rather than by the object’s value.
Śaṅkha, overcome with anger, confronts someone who has taken fruits on his own initiative and labels the act as theft, marking a moral boundary and escalating the situation through a direct accusation.