Shloka 31
धृतराष्ट्रस्य पश्चात्तापः तथा वनप्रस्थानानुज्ञा | Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Remorse and Request for Forest-Retirement
“जो दूसरोंसे घूस लेनेकी रुचि रखते हों
vaiśampāyana uvāca—ye parebhyo gṛhṇanti ghūṣam (lāñcham) iti rucim āśritāḥ, ye parastrīsaṃsargāḥ, ye viśeṣataḥ kaṭhoradaṇḍapravṛttāḥ, ye mṛṣā nirṇayaṃ kurvanti, ye kaṭuvādinaḥ, lobhinaḥ, paradhanāpahāriṇaḥ, dussāhasinaḥ, sabhābhavana-udyānādīnāṃ nāśakāḥ, sarvavarṇānāṃ ca lokānāṃ kalaṅkakārakāḥ—tān nyāyādhikāriṇaḥ deśa-kālaṃ vicārya suvarṇadaṇḍena vā prāṇadaṇḍena vā daṇḍayet.
毗湿摩波耶那说道：“凡司法之官，喜受贿赂，与他人妻室相狎，尤好施以苛刑，妄下虚判；言辞刻薄，贪婪无厌，侵夺他财，鲁莽放纵；毁坏会堂、屋宇与游园，并使各阶层之民蒙羞者——此等官吏，当审时度势，酌量时地，或以黄金罚金惩治，或以死刑处断。此段以正义为道德之托付：当审判者自身沦为腐败与社会败坏的推手，君王之责便是以相称而合乎情境的惩罚，复兴达摩。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Justice is a sacred public trust: when judges become corrupt—taking bribes, issuing false verdicts, abusing power, and harming society—the ruler must punish them firmly, yet with contextual discernment (deśa-kāla), using fines or even capital punishment when warranted.
Vaiśampāyana enumerates the traits of unrighteous judicial officers and states the appropriate royal response. The verse functions as a rājadharma instruction: it warns that corrupt adjudication destabilizes society and therefore demands decisive corrective punishment.