Shloka 15

Tapovana-praveśaḥ — The King’s Entry into the Sacred Grove and Vision of the Āśrama

Devanagari script

कामक्रोधोद्धवान्‌ दोषान्‌ निरस्य च नराधिपा: । धर्मेण दण्डं दण्ड्येषु प्रणयन्‍्तोडन्‍्वपालयन्‌,उन दिनों राजालोग काम और क्रोधजनित दोषोंको दूर करके दण्डनीय अपराधियोंको धर्मानुसार दण्ड देते हुए पृथ्वीका पालन करते थे

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: kāma-krodhoddhavān doṣān nirāsya ca narādhipāḥ | dharmeṇa daṇḍaṃ daṇḍyeṣu praṇayanto 'nvapālayan ||

Translation

毗舍波耶那说道：“在那些日子里，诸王摒弃由欲与怒所生的过失，以达摩施行刑罚——对当罚之人施以当罚——从而护持大地。”

Word by Word

कामक्रोधोद्भवान्arisen from desire and anger

दोषान्faults, vices

निरस्यhaving cast out, removing

चand

नराधिपाःkings, rulers of men

धर्मेणby/according to dharma (law, righteousness)

दण्डम्punishment

दण्ड्येषुamong those punishable (offenders)

प्रणयन्तःimposing, applying (punishment)

उर्वीम्the earth

अपालयन्they protected/ruled

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

narādhipāḥ (kings/rulers)

daṇḍa (punishment/rod of rule)

pṛthivī (earth, implied by 'protected/ruled')

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler must first restrain inner vices—especially desire and anger—and then administer punishment only in accordance with dharma; ethical self-mastery is presented as the foundation of just governance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes an earlier ideal order: kings removed kāma- and krodha-born faults and maintained the realm by righteously punishing those who were punishable, thereby protecting the earth.