Shloka 213

Satya–Anṛta Viveka (Discrimination between Truth and Falsehood) | सत्य–अनृत विवेकः

Devanagari script

दण्डेनैव स हन्तव्यस्तं पन्थानं समाश्रित: । जो कोई धर्मसाधक मनुष्य धार्मिक आचारसे भ्रष्ट हो पापमार्गका आश्रय ले, उसे अवश्य दण्डके द्वारा मारना चाहिये

Transliteration

daṇḍenaiva sa hantavyas taṃ panthānaṃ samāśritaḥ |

Translation

ภีษมะกล่าวว่า— ผู้ใดดำเนินไปตามทางนั้น คือแม้เป็นผู้ปฏิบัติธรรมแต่กลับเสื่อมจากจารีตอันชอบและหันไปสู่ทางบาป ผู้นั้นพึงถูกควบคุมด้วยอาญาเพื่อคุ้มครองสังคม และหากจำเป็นก็พึงถูกกำจัดด้วยโทษทัณฑ์อันชอบด้วยกฎหมาย

Word by Word

दण्डेनby punishment/rod

एवindeed/only

सःhe/that person

हन्तव्यःmust be slain/killed

तम्that

पन्थानम्path/way

समाश्रितःhaving resorted to/embraced

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

daṇḍa (royal punishment / rod of law)

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?

The verse teaches that when a person who is expected to uphold dharma deliberately abandons righteous conduct and adopts a sinful path, the king’s duty of daṇḍa (lawful punishment) must be applied decisively—even to the extent of capital penalty—so that dharma and public safety are preserved.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on rājadharma (the duties of kingship). Here he states a strict principle of governance: serious moral and social transgression, especially by those who should model dharma, warrants severe legal punishment to prevent the spread of adharma.