Shloka 26
Gārhasthya-Śreṣṭhatā and Kṣatriya-Daṇḍadhāraṇa
Householder Primacy and the Royal Duty of Punishment
गच्छ राजानमासाद्य स्वकर्म कथयस्व वै । अदत्तादानमेवं हि कृतं पार्थिवसत्तम
gaccha rājānam āsādya svakarma kathayasva vai | adattādānam evaṁ hi kṛtaṁ pārthivasattama ||
Vyāsa nói: “Hãy đi đến yết kiến nhà vua và thuật lại rõ ràng chính việc ngươi đã làm. Hỡi bậc tối thượng trong hàng quân vương, đây quả là hành vi ‘lấy vật chưa được cho’.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should be transparent and accountable for one’s actions, especially regarding property and gifts. A ‘gift’ is dharmic only when it is rightfully one’s to give; giving what was not properly granted (adatta-dāna) is ethically flawed and must be acknowledged before rightful authority.
Vyāsa instructs someone to go directly to the king and report their own action. The statement frames the deed as ‘adatta-dāna’—an act involving giving or transferring something without proper authorization—implying the need for confession and rectification under royal oversight.