Shloka 20
राजधर्मः—प्रमादवर्जनं, दण्डनीतिः, दुर्बलरक्षणम्
Royal Dharma: Vigilance, Just Punishment, Protection of the Vulnerable
यानि मिथ्याभिशस्तानां पतन्त्यश्रूणि रोदताम् । तानि पुत्रान् पशून् घ्नन्ति तेषां मिथ्याभिशंसनात्
yāni mithyābhiśastānāṁ patanty aśrūṇi rodatām | tāni putrān paśūn ghnanti teṣāṁ mithyābhiśaṁsanāt ||
乌塔提耶说道：“被诬告而哭泣之人所落下的眼泪，并非徒然。正因诽谤与虚妄归罪之举，那些泪水便化作毁灭之因——使诬告者的子嗣与牲畜遭受败亡。故而，虚假指控终将以惨重的果报反噬作恶者。”
उतथ्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
False accusation (mithyābhiśaṁsana) is a grave adharma: the suffering it causes to the innocent returns upon the slanderer as destructive karmic consequence, symbolized by the tears of the wronged bringing ruin to the wrongdoer’s lineage and wealth.
In a didactic discourse within Śānti Parva, the sage Utathya warns about the moral and practical danger of condemning people unjustly. He frames the harm as immediate and tangible—loss of children and cattle—underscoring the social and cosmic seriousness of slander.