Adhyaya 70 — The King Confronts the Rakshasa and Restores the Brahmin’s Wife
राजोवाच स्वभावं वयमश्नीमस्त्वयोक्तं यन्निशाचर ।
तदर्थिनो वयं येन कार्येण शृणु तन्मम ॥
rājovāca svabhāvaṃ vayam aśnīmas tvayoktaṃ yan niśācara |
tad-arthino vayaṃ yena kāryeṇa śṛṇu tan mama ||
Sinabi ng hari: “O gumagala sa gabi, gaya ng iyong sinabi, tinatanggap at pinakikitunguhan namin ang mga bagay ayon sa kanilang likas na katangian. May layunin din kami—pakinggan mo ang gawaing hinihingi ko kapalit ng pabor na iyon.”
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The king treats the rākṣasa’s ‘nature’ as a given and attempts to channel it toward a desired outcome. The moral tension is whether governance may instrumentalize adharma to correct another adharma.
Upākhyāna (instructional tale) illustrating rajadharma in practice; not a pancalakṣaṇa core topic.
Acknowledging ‘svabhāva’ reflects realism about guṇas/instincts; the spiritual challenge is transforming nature rather than merely bargaining with it.