Shloka 22
राजधर्मः—प्रमादवर्जनं, दण्डनीतिः, दुर्बलरक्षणम्
Royal Dharma: Vigilance, Just Punishment, Protection of the Vulnerable
यत्राबलो वध्यमानस्त्रातारं नाधिगच्छति । महान् दैवकृतस्तत्र दण्ड: पतति दारुण:
yatrābalo vadhyamānas trātāraṁ nādhigacchati | mahān daivakṛtas tatra daṇḍaḥ patati dāruṇaḥ ||
اُتَتھْیَہ نے کہا— جہاں کمزور آدمی ستایا جائے اور اسے کوئی پناہ دینے والا نہ ملے، وہاں اسی ظالم گنہگار پر تقدیرِ الٰہی سے بڑا اور ہولناک عذاب ضرور نازل ہوتا ہے۔
उतथ्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Oppression of the helpless inevitably invites retribution: if no human protector appears, divine/cosmic justice (daiva) itself imposes a severe punishment on the wrongdoer. The verse reinforces dharma as an inescapable moral order.
In the Śānti Parva’s dharma-instructional setting, the sage Utathya states a principle about punishment and protection: the weak may lack immediate worldly support, but the aggressor does not escape—daṇḍa, backed by daiva, descends upon the perpetrator.