Shloka 19
मोक्षोपाय-निर्णयः
Determination of the Means to Liberation
मृदव: सत्य भूयिष्ठा अल्पद्रोहाल्पमन्यव: । पुराधिग्दण्ड एवासीद् वाग्दण्डस्तदनन्तरम्
mṛdavaḥ satya-bhūyiṣṭhā alpa-drohālpamanyavaḥ | purā dhig-daṇḍa evāsīd vāg-daṇḍas tad-anantaram ||
胡玛特塞那说：“在远古之时，人们温和柔顺，多守真实，少有背叛，亦不轻易动怒。那时最初的惩罚，不过是谴责与道德上的鄙弃；其后才兴起以严厉言辞施罚。”
हुमत्सेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Humatsena presents an ethical history of society: when people are gentle, truthful, and self-controlled, social correction can be minimal—mere moral censure suffices. As virtue declines, stronger forms of punishment arise, beginning with verbal chastisement.
In the Shanti Parva’s discourse on dharma and governance, Humatsena describes earlier social conditions and the evolution of disciplinary measures, contrasting an age of innate virtue with later reliance on punitive speech.