Shloka 42
राजवृत्त-रक्षा-प्रणिधि-षाड्गुण्योपदेशः
Royal Conduct, Protection, Intelligence, and Policy Measures
यदा हासीदत: पापान् दहत्युग्रेण तेजसा । मिथ्योपचरितो राजा तदा भवति पावक:
yadā hāsīdataḥ pāpān dahaty ugreṇa tejasā | mithyopacarito rājā tadā bhavati pāvakaḥ ||
瓦苏玛那说：当国王遭人以欺诈与虚伪之奉事相待时，他便如火。于是以猛烈光焰，将那些近前的罪人——以伪善与诡计欲加害于王者——焚为灰烬。此颂警示：对正当权威的背叛必反噬作恶者；而君王的刑罚之力，一旦为非法（adharma）所触发，便显为吞噬之势。
वसुमना उवाच
Educational Q&A
Deceitful conduct toward a rightful ruler is self-destructive: when a king is approached with hypocrisy and fraud, his daṇḍa (punitive authority) manifests like fire, consuming the wrongdoers. The ethical point is that adharma directed at governance invites swift and severe consequences.
Vasumanā describes a moral-political principle within rājadharma: if sinful people try to cheat or manipulate the king through false behavior, the king—provoked into rightful punishment—becomes metaphorically ‘fire’ and destroys those offenders who come within his reach.