Shloka 28
Gārhasthya-Śreṣṭhatā and Kṣatriya-Daṇḍadhāraṇa
Householder Primacy and the Royal Duty of Punishment
“अतः तुम राजाके पास जाओ और अपनी करतूत उन्हें कह सुनाओ। उनसे कहना --नृपश्रेष्ठ! मैंने इस प्रकार बिना दिये हुए फल ले लिये हैं, अतः मुझे चोर समझकर अपने धर्मका पालन कीजिये। नरेश्वर! चोरके लिये जो नियत दण्ड हो, वह शीघ्र मुझे प्रदान कीजिये” ।।
vyāsa uvāca — ataḥ tvaṃ rājāke pāsa jāo aura apanī kartūt unheṃ kaha-sunāo | unseṃ kahanā—nṛpaśreṣṭha! mayā evaṃ prakāreṇa adattaṃ phalaṃ gṛhītaṃ; ataḥ māṃ cauraṃ matvā sva-dharmaṃ pālayata | nareśvara! caurasya yo niyata-daṇḍaḥ sa śīghraṃ mahyaṃ pradīyatām || ity uktaḥ tasya vacanāt sujyumnaṃ sa narādhipam abhyagacchat, mahābāho, likhitaḥ saṃśita-vrataḥ ||
毗耶娑说道：“因此，你当去见国王，坦白你所做之事。对他说：‘噢，诸王之最胜者！我以此方式取了未被施与之果；故请视我为盗贼，奉行你的王法之责。噢，人中之主！速速赐我盗贼所当受的定刑。’” 依长兄之言受教后，苦行者利奇多——严守峻誓、志行坚固——前往人主苏底尤姆那王处。
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is upheld when wrongdoing is openly confessed and the lawful consequence is accepted. The king must administer justice without favoritism, and the offender—even a sage—must submit to the prescribed penalty to restore moral order.
On Vyāsa’s instruction, Likhita goes to King Sudyumna to admit that he took fruit without it being given. He asks the king to treat him as a thief and to impose the legally fixed punishment, highlighting both personal accountability and the king’s duty to enforce dharma.