Shloka 17
Draupadī’s Exhortation on Rājadharma and Daṇḍa (द्रौपद्याः राजधर्मोपदेशः)
यस्मिन् क्षमा च क्रोधश्व दानादाने भयाभये । निग्रहानुग्रहौ चोभौ स वै धर्मविदुच्यते
yasmin kṣamā ca krodhaś ca dānādāne bhayābhaye | nigrahānugrahau cobhau sa vai dharmavid ucyate ||
所谓通晓法（dharma）者，是那能随时随势而起忍让与正怒之人；既能施与，又能在职责所需时取用之人；能令敌人心生畏惧，却能赐予来投者无畏之人；以刑罚约束恶徒，同时对困厄者施以怜悯与恩泽之人。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True knowledge of dharma is not one-sided softness or harshness; it is balanced discernment—knowing when to forgive and when to be stern, when to give and when to take for justice, when to threaten wrongdoers and when to protect the vulnerable, combining punishment (nigraha) with compassion (anugraha).
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous governance and conduct, the speaker defines the marks of a dharma-knower by listing paired virtues that must be applied according to time and context, a framework especially relevant to rulers and those responsible for social order.