Shloka 26
Prāyaścitta and Contextual Non-Culpability (प्रायश्चित्त-निमित्त-अदोषवाद)
धनं तु यस्यापहरेत् तस्मै दद्यात् समं वसु । विविधेनाभ्युपायेन तदा मुच्येत किल्बिषात्,जिसके धनका अपहरण करे, उसे अनेक उपाय करके उतना ही धन लौटा दे तो उस पापसे छुटकारा मिल सकता है
dhanaṁ tu yasyāpaharet tasmai dadyāt samaṁ vasu | vividhena abhyupāyena tadā mucyeta kilbiṣāt ||
Sinabi ni Vyāsa: Kung ang isang tao’y nakakuha ng yaman ng iba, dapat niyang ibalik sa mismong taong iyon ang kapantay na halaga ng ari-arian. Sa pamamagitan ng pagsasauli—sa anumang paraang makatarungan at naaayon sa batas na maaari—maaari siyang mapalaya mula sa dungis ng maling gawa.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wrongfully taking another’s wealth creates moral fault (kilbiṣa); the primary remedy taught here is restitution—returning an equivalent amount to the person harmed—so that one may be freed from that sin.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa states a rule of ethical repair: when someone has deprived another of wealth, they should compensate the victim with an equal amount, using practical and legitimate means, as a way of expiating the wrongdoing.