Shloka 27
Gārhasthya-Śreṣṭhatā and Kṣatriya-Daṇḍadhāraṇa
Householder Primacy and the Royal Duty of Punishment
स्तेन॑ मां त्वं विदित्वा च स्वधर्ममनुपालय । शीघ्रं धारय चौरस्थ मम दण्डं नराधिप
stenaṁ māṁ tvaṁ viditvā ca svadharmam anupālaya | śīghraṁ dhāraya caurastha mama daṇḍaṁ narādhipa ||
Vyāsa nói: “Dẫu biết ta là kẻ trộm, ngươi vẫn phải giữ trọn bổn phận của mình. Hỡi đại vương, trong vai trò người trị tội kẻ trộm, hãy mau thi hành hình phạt dành cho ta.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when personal feelings, status, or recognition of the offender could sway judgment, the ruler must uphold svadharma—administering justice impartially and without delay. Dharma is protected when punishment (daṇḍa) is applied according to duty rather than favoritism.
Vyāsa addresses a king and, presenting himself as a thief, urges the king to act in his proper role: to deal with wrongdoing decisively. The statement tests and instructs the king’s commitment to rājadharma—punishing crime even when the culprit is someone significant.