Shloka 21
अज्ञान–लोभयोः परस्परहेतुत्वम्
Mutual Causality of Ignorance and Greed
हिमाग्निघोरसद्शो राजा भवति कश्चन | लांगलाशनिकल्पो वा भवेदन्य: परंतप
himāgni-ghora-sadṛśo rājā bhavati kaścana | lāṅgalāśani-kalpo vā bhaved anyaḥ parantapa ||
Wika ni Śaunaka: “Sa mga hari, may isang malamig at nakaaaliw na gaya ng niyebe; may isa namang nakapapasong gaya ng apoy; may isa ring nakatatakot na tila si Kamatayan mismo. May iba pa na gaya ng araro o ng kulog, bumubunot sa kasamaan hanggang ugat at biglang dumadagok sa mga gumagawa ng adharma. Kaya nagkakaiba-iba ang mga pinuno sa ugali at sa paraan ng pagpapanatili ng kaayusan at pagpaparusa sa adharma.”
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Rulership expresses itself in different temperaments—gentle restraint, fiery severity, fear-inducing authority, or sudden decisive punishment—but the ethical point is that a king’s power is meant to protect order by restraining and uprooting adharma.
Śaunaka characterizes various kinds of kings through vivid similes (snow, fire, Death, plough, thunderbolt), setting up a discussion on how rulers administer discipline and maintain social order.