Shloka 21
राजधर्मः—प्रमादवर्जनं, दण्डनीतिः, दुर्बलरक्षणम्
Royal Dharma: Vigilance, Just Punishment, Protection of the Vulnerable
यदि नात्मनि पुत्रेषु न चेत् पौत्रेषु नप्तृषु । न हि पापं कृतं कर्म सद्य:ः फलति गौरिव
yadi nātmani putreṣu na cet pautreṣu naptṛṣu | na hi pāpaṁ kṛtaṁ karma sadyaḥ phalati gaur iva ||
乌塔提耶说道：“若罪业之果不落在自身，便必落在儿子身上，或落在孙子、曾孙身上。因为恶行并不立刻结果——正如播入大地的种子不会当下结实；唯待时机成熟，方才显现其报。”
उतथ्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches delayed moral causality: sinful actions may not produce visible results immediately, but their consequences inevitably mature in time—sometimes affecting one’s descendants if not experienced by the doer.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and conduct, the sage Utathya explains to his listener that wrongdoing is never truly ‘unpaid’; like a seed in the earth, it ripens and bears fruit later, even across generations.