Shloka 17

मोक्षोपाय-निर्णयः

Determination of the Means to Liberation

Devanagari script

हुमत्सेन उवाच यत्र यत्रैव शक्‍्येरन्‌ संयन्तुं समये प्रजा: । स तावान प्रोच्यते धर्मो यावन्न प्रतिलड्घ्यते

Transliteration

Humatsena uvāca | yatra yatraiva śakyeran saṁyantuṁ samaye prajāḥ | sa tāvān procyate dharmo yāvanna pratilaghyate ||

Translation

胡摩跋塞那说道：“吾子啊，凡在任何处、任何时，只要能够使百姓约束于正当秩序之内，那样的措施便称为法（dharma）。但此等安排唯当不逾越法本身时，方可维持。”

Word by Word

• धुमत्सेनः: Dhumatsena
• धुमत्सेनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धुमत्सेन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, 3, Singular

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• शक्येरन्: could/should be able (they)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शक्
• Form: Optative, 3, Plural, Parasmaipada

• संयन्तुम्: to restrain/control
• Type: Verb
• Root: सं-यम्
• Form: Tumun (infinitive)

• समये: in/within the convention/limit (proper bounds)
• समये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समय
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• प्रजाः: the subjects/people
• प्रजाः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• सः: that/he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तावान्: so much/that much (extent)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तावत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रोच्यते: is called/declared
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-वच्
• Form: Present, 3, Singular, Passive

• धर्मः: dharma/righteous order
• धर्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• यावत्: as long as/so far as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत्

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• प्रतिलङ्घ्यते: is transgressed/overstepped
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-लङ्घ्
• Form: Present, 3, Singular, Passive

Speaker

हुमत्सेन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Humatsena
• prajāḥ (the people/subjects)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Regulation of society is itself dharma only to the extent that it stays within dharma’s limits; governance must not become a pretext for violating righteousness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Humatsena instructs his son on statecraft and moral governance, defining dharma pragmatically as the permissible scope of social restraint that does not cross into adharma.