Shloka 17

Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)

Devanagari script

उच्छिद्यमानमात्मान ज्ञात्वा राजा महामति: । पूर्वापकारिणो हन्याल्लोकद्विष्टांश्व॒ सर्वश:

Transliteration

ucchidyamānam ātmānaṃ jñātvā rājā mahāmatiḥ | pūrvāpakāriṇo hanyāl lokadviṣṭāṃś ca sarvaśaḥ ||

Translation

เมื่อพระราชาผู้มีปัญญายิ่งรู้ชัดว่าอัตภาพของตน—ทั้งราชอำนาจและชีวิต—กำลังถูกตัดรอนและถูกหมายปอง พระองค์พึงกำจัดผู้ที่เคยทำร้ายมาก่อน และผู้ที่เกลียดชังประชาราษฎร์ให้สิ้นเชิง ถอนรากถอนโคนให้หมด

Word by Word

• उच्छिद्यमानम्: being cut off / being destroyed
• उच्छिद्यमानम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्-छिद् (धातु) → उच्छिद्यमान (कृदन्त)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आत्मानम्: oneself
• आत्मानम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• ज्ञात्वा: having known / realizing
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु) → ज्ञात्वा
• Form: Absolutive (Gerund)

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• महामतिः: very wise / of great intellect
• महामतिः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महामति
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पूर्व-अपकारिणः: former wrongdoers / prior offenders
• पूर्व-अपकारिणः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपकारिन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• हन्यात्: should kill / should destroy
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular

• लोक-द्विष्टान्: those who hate the people / public-haters
• लोक-द्विष्टान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्विष् (धातु) → द्विष्ट (कृदन्त) / द्विष्ट (विशेषण)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• सर्वशः: entirely / in every way
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वशः

• यदि: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• king (rājā)
• the people/public (loka)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A prudent king must protect the realm and the people by decisively neutralizing those who threaten his existence and those who are hostile to public welfare; punishment here is presented as a duty of governance (rājadharma), not personal vengeance.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on royal conduct, Bhishma advises on how a ruler should respond when he learns of plots or forces aiming at his destruction: he should act firmly against prior offenders and public-haters to prevent wider harm.