Shloka 53
राजवृत्त-रक्षा-प्रणिधि-षाड्गुण्योपदेशः
Royal Conduct, Protection, Intelligence, and Policy Measures
महान्तं नरक॑ घोरमप्रतिष्ठमचेतनम् । पतन्ति चिररात्राय राजवित्तापहारिण:,राजाके धनका अपहरण करनेवाले मनुष्य दीर्घकालके लिये विशाल, भयंकर, अस्थिर और चेतनाशक्तिको लुप्त कर देनेवाले नरकमें गिरते हैं
mahāntaṃ narakaṃ ghoraṃ apratiṣṭham acetanaṃ | patanti cirarātrāya rājavittāpahāriṇaḥ ||
Wika ni Vasumanā: Ang mga nagnanakaw ng yaman ng hari ay nahuhulog sa isang malawak at kakila-kilabot na impiyerno—walang matibay na tuntungan at nawawalan ng ulirat—at nananatili roon sa napakahabang panahon. Ipinapakita ng taludtod na ang pagnanakaw mula sa pinuno ay hindi lamang kasalanang pangbayan, kundi isang mabigat na paglabag sa dharma na may malupit na bunga pagkamatay.
वसुमना उवाच
Educational Q&A
Stealing from the king’s treasury is treated as a serious adharma with heavy karmic consequences; the verse warns that such offenders incur prolonged suffering in a dreadful hell, underscoring the sanctity of public wealth and the moral duty to protect social order.
In a didactic discourse within the Śānti Parva, Vasumanā states a specific consequence for a specific wrongdoing: those who rob royal wealth are said to fall into a terrifying, unstable hell for a long duration, as part of a broader teaching on conduct and retribution.