Mahabharata — Volume VIII (Dutt edition) — Chapter 94
MBh 8 94.1
युधिष्ठिर उवाच कथं राजा प्रजा रक्षेन्न च किंचित् प्रघातयेत्। पृच्छामि त्वां सतां श्रेष्ठ तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह॥
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca kathaṃ rājā prajā rakṣenna ca kiṃcit praghātayet| pṛcchāmi tvāṃ satāṃ śreṣṭha tanme brūhi pitāmaha||
Yudhisthira said How, indeed, should the king protect his subjects without harming anybody? I ask you this, O grandfather, tell me, O foremost of good men!
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.2
भीष्म उवाच अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम्। धुमत्सेनस्य संवादं राज्ञा सत्यवता सह॥
bhīṣma uvāca atrāpyudāharantīmamitihāsaṃ purātanam| dhumatsenasya saṃvādaṃ rājñā satyavatā saha||
Bhishma said Regarding it is cited the old conversation between Dyumutsena and king Satyavat.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.3
अव्याहृतं व्याजहार सत्यवानिति नः श्रुतम्। वधायोनीयमानेषु पितुरेवानुशासनात्॥
avyāhṛtaṃ vyājahāra satyavāniti naḥ śrutam| vadhāyonīyamāneṣu piturevānuśāsanāt||
We have heard that upon a certain number of individuals having been brought out for execution at the command of his father, prince Satyavat gave vent to certain words that had never before been said by any body else.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.4
अधर्मतां याति धर्मो यात्यधर्मश्च धर्मताम्। वधो नाम भवेद् धर्मो नैतद् भवितुमर्हति॥
adharmatāṃ yāti dharmo yātyadharmaśca dharmatām| vadho nāma bhaved dharmo naitad bhavitumarhati||
Sometimes virtue assumes the form of sin, and sin assumes the form of virtue. It can never be possible that destruction of individuals can ever be a virtuous act.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.5
धुमत्सेन उवाच अथ चेदवधो धर्मोऽधर्मः को जातु चिद् भवेत्। दस्यवश्चेन्न हन्येरन् सत्यवन् संकरो भवेत्॥
dhumatsena uvāca atha cedavadho dharmo'dharmaḥ ko jātu cid bhavet| dasyavaścenna hanyeran satyavan saṃkaro bhavet||
Dyumutsena said If the sparing of those who should be killed, by virtue, if robbers be spared, O Satyavat, then all distinctions (between virtue and vice) would disappear.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.6
ममेदमिति नास्यैतत् प्रवर्तेत कलौ युगे। लोकयात्रा न चैव स्यादथ चेद् वेत्थ शंस नः॥
mamedamiti nāsyaitat pravarteta kalau yuge| lokayātrā na caiva syādatha ced vettha śaṃsa naḥ||
'This is mine,'-'This is not his'-ideas like these will not prevail in the Kali age. (If the wicked be not punished) the affairs of the world will come to an end. If you know how the world may go on, then describe it to ine.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.7
सत्यवानुवाच सर्व एते त्रयो वर्णाः कार्या ब्राह्मणबन्धनाः। धर्मपाशनिबद्धानामन्योऽप्येवं चरिष्यति॥
satyavānuvāca sarva ete trayo varṇāḥ kāryā brāhmaṇabandhanāḥ| dharmapāśanibaddhānāmanyo'pyevaṃ cariṣyati||
Satyvat said The three other castes should be placed under the control of the Brahmanas. If those three castes be kept within the limits of virtue, then the subsidiary caste (that have sprung from intermixture) will imitate their practises.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.8
यो यस्तेषामपचरेत् तमाचक्षीत वै द्विजः। अयं मे न शृणोतीति तस्मिन् राजा प्रधारयेत्॥
yo yasteṣāmapacaret tamācakṣīta vai dvijaḥ| ayaṃ me na śṛṇotīti tasmin rājā pradhārayet||
Of them those who will violate (these commands) be reported to the king.-This one does not care commands!-upon such a complaint being lodged by a Brahmana, the king should punish the offender.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.9
तत्त्वाभेदेन यच्छास्त्रं तत् कार्यं नान्यथाविधम्। असमीक्ष्यैव कर्माणि नीतिशास्त्रं यथाविधि॥
tattvābhedena yacchāstraṃ tat kāryaṃ nānyathāvidham| asamīkṣyaiva karmāṇi nītiśāstraṃ yathāvidhi||
Without destroying the body of the offender the king should punish him as ordained by the Scriptures. The king should not act otherwise, neglecting to think properly upon the character shall for my of the offence and upon the science of morality.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.10
दस्यून् निहन्ति वै राजा भूयसो वाप्यनागसः। भार्या माता पिता पुत्रो हन्यन्ते पुरुषेण ते। परेणापकृतो राजा तस्मात् सम्यक् प्रधारयेत्॥
dasyūn nihanti vai rājā bhūyaso vāpyanāgasaḥ| bhāryā mātā pitā putro hanyante puruṣeṇa te| pareṇāpakṛto rājā tasmāt samyak pradhārayet||
By killing the wicked, the king kills a large number of innocent men. See, by killing a single robber, his wife, mother, father, and children are all killed. When injured by a wicked person, the king should, therefore, think seriously on the question of punishment.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.11
असाधुश्चैव पुरुषो लभते शीलमेकदा। साधोश्चापि ह्यसाधुभ्यः शोभना जायते प्रजा॥
asādhuścaiva puruṣo labhate śīlamekadā| sādhoścāpi hyasādhubhyaḥ śobhanā jāyate prajā||
Sometimes a wicked man is seen to imbibe good conduct from a pious person. It is seen that good children spring from wicked persons.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.12
न मूलघातः कर्तव्यो नैष धर्मः सनातनः। अपि स्वल्पवधेनैव प्रायश्चित्तं विधीयते॥ उद्वेजनेन बन्धेन विरूपकरणेन च। वधदण्डेन ते क्लिश्या न पुरोहितसंसदि॥ यदा पुरोहितं वा ते पर्येयुः शरणैषिणः। करिष्यामः पुनर्ब्रह्मन् न पापमिति वादिनः॥ तदा विसर्गमर्हाः स्युरितीदं धातृशासनम्। बिभ्रद् दण्डाजिनं मुण्डो ब्राह्मणोऽर्हति शासनम्॥
na mūlaghātaḥ kartavyo naiṣa dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ| api svalpavadhenaiva prāyaścittaṃ vidhīyate|| udvejanena bandhena virūpakaraṇena ca| vadhadaṇḍena te kliśyā na purohitasaṃsadi|| yadā purohitaṃ vā te paryeyuḥ śaraṇaiṣiṇaḥ| kariṣyāmaḥ punarbrahman na pāpamiti vādinaḥ|| tadā visargamarhāḥ syuritīdaṃ dhātṛśāsanam| bibhrad daṇḍājinaṃ muṇḍo brāhmaṇo'rhati śāsanam||
The wicked, therefore, should not be uprooted. The extermination of the wicked is not quite of a piece with eternal practice. By punishing them gently, by depriving them of all their riches, by chains and imprisonment, by disfiguring them they may be made to expiate their offences. Their relatives should not be punished by the infliction of capital sentences on them. If in the presence of the priest and others, they give themselves up to him from desire of protection, and swear, saying,-0 Brahmana, we shall never again commit any sin,-they would then be discharged without any punishment. This is command of the Creator himself. Even the Brahmana who puts on a deer-skin and the wand and has his head shaved, should be punished.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.13
गरीयांसो गरीयांसमपराधे पुनः पुनः। तदा विसर्गमर्हन्ति न यथा प्रथमे तथा॥
garīyāṃso garīyāṃsamaparādhe punaḥ punaḥ| tadā visargamarhanti na yathā prathame tathā||
If great men transgress, their punishment should be proportionate to their greatness. As regards them who offend again and again, they should not be let off without punishment as on their first offence.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.14
द्युमत्सेन उवाच यत्र यत्रैव शक्येरन् संयन्तुं समये प्रजाः। स तावान् प्रोच्यते धर्मो यावन्न प्रतिलझ्यते॥
dyumatsena uvāca yatra yatraiva śakyeran saṃyantuṃ samaye prajāḥ| sa tāvān procyate dharmo yāvanna pratilajhyate||
Dyumatsena said As long as those limits within which men should be kept are not outstripped, so long are they known by the name of virtue.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.15
अहन्यमानेषु पुनः सर्वमेव पराभवेत्। पूर्वे पूर्वतरे चैव सुशास्या ह्यभवन् जनाः॥
ahanyamāneṣu punaḥ sarvameva parābhavet| pūrve pūrvatare caiva suśāsyā hyabhavan janāḥ||
If they who transgressed those limits were not punished with death, those barriers would soon be destroyed. Men of more ancient times were capable of being governed easily.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.16
मृदवः सत्यभूयिष्ठा अल्पद्रोहाल्पमन्यवः। पुरा धिगदण्ड एवासीद् वाग्दण्डस्तदनन्तरम्॥
mṛdavaḥ satyabhūyiṣṭhā alpadrohālpamanyavaḥ| purā dhigadaṇḍa evāsīd vāgdaṇḍastadanantaram||
They were very truthful. They were little bent upon quarrelling. They seldom gave way to anger, or, if they did, their anger never became ungovernable. In those days mere disapproval of offence sufficient punishment. After this came the punishment represented by harsh words or censures.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.17
आसीदादानदण्डोऽपि वधदण्डोऽद्य वर्तते। वधेनापि न शक्यन्ते नियन्तुमपरे जनाः॥
āsīdādānadaṇḍo'pi vadhadaṇḍo'dya vartate| vadhenāpi na śakyante niyantumapare janāḥ||
Then came the punishment of fines and forfeitures. In this age, however, the punishment of death is in vogue. Wickedness has increased to such an extent that by killing one others cannot be controlled.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.18
नैव दस्युर्मनुष्याणां न देवानामिति श्रुतिः। न गन्धर्वपितृणां च कः कस्येह न कश्चन॥
naiva dasyurmanuṣyāṇāṃ na devānāmiti śrutiḥ| na gandharvapitṛṇāṃ ca kaḥ kasyeha na kaścana||
The robber has no connection with men, with the gods, with the Gandharvas, and with the Pitris. What is he to whom? He is not any was body to any one. This is the saying of the Shrutis.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.19
पद्मं श्मशानादादत्ते पिशाचाच्चापि दैवतम्। तेषु यः समयं कश्चित् कुर्वीत हतबुद्धिषु॥
padmaṃ śmaśānādādatte piśācāccāpi daivatam| teṣu yaḥ samayaṃ kaścit kurvīta hatabuddhiṣu||
The robber takes away the ornaments of dead bodies from cemeteries, and consumes from men afflicted by spirits. That man is a fool who would enter into any agreement with those miscreants or exact any oath from them.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.20
सत्यवानुवाच तान् न शक्नोषि चेत् साधून् परित्रातुमहिंसया। कस्यचिद् भूतभव्यस्य लाभेनान्तं तथा कुरु॥
satyavānuvāca tān na śaknoṣi cet sādhūn paritrātumahiṃsayā| kasyacid bhūtabhavyasya lābhenāntaṃ tathā kuru||
Satyavat said If you cannot make honest men of those rogues and in saying them by means other than destruction, do you then root them out by celebrating some sacrifice.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.21
राजानो लोकयात्रार्थं तप्यन्ते परमं तपः। तेऽपत्रपन्ति तादृग्भ्यस्तथावृत्ता भवन्ति च।॥
rājāno lokayātrārthaṃ tapyante paramaṃ tapaḥ| te'patrapanti tādṛgbhyastathāvṛttā bhavanti ca|||
Kings practise severe penances for the sake of enabling their subjects to grow prosperous in their callings. When thieves and robbers increase in their territories they become ashamed. They, therefore, perform penances for putting down thefts and robberies and making their subjects live happily.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.22
वित्रास्यमानाः सुकृतो न कामाद् जन्ति दुष्कृतीन्। सुकृतेनैव राजानो भूयिष्ठं शासते प्रजाः॥
vitrāsyamānāḥ sukṛto na kāmād janti duṣkṛtīn| sukṛtenaiva rājāno bhūyiṣṭhaṃ śāsate prajāḥ||
Subjects can be made honest by, being only terrorized. Good kings never kill the wicked from motives of retribution. Good kings succeed in ruling their subjects properly with the help of good conduct.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.23
श्रेयसः श्रेयसोऽप्येवं वृत्तं लोकोऽनुवर्तते। सदैव हि गुरोर्वृत्तमनुवर्तन्ति मानवाः॥
śreyasaḥ śreyaso'pyevaṃ vṛttaṃ loko'nuvartate| sadaiva hi gurorvṛttamanuvartanti mānavāḥ||
If the king act properly, the high class subjects imitate him. The inferior people, again, imitate their immediate superiors. Men are so formed that they imitate those whom they consider as their betters.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.24
आत्मानमसमाधाय समाधित्सति यः परान्। विषयेष्विन्द्रियवशं मानवाः प्रहसन्ति तम्।॥
ātmānamasamādhāya samādhitsati yaḥ parān| viṣayeṣvindriyavaśaṃ mānavāḥ prahasanti tam|||
That king who, without controlling himself, seeks to govern others (from evil ways) becomes an object of ridicule with all men on account of his being engaged in the enjoyment of all worldly pleasures as a slave of his senses.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.25
यो राज्ञो दम्भमोहेन किंचित् कुर्यादसाम्प्रतम्। सर्वोपयैर्नियम्यः स तथा पापान्निवर्तते॥
yo rājño dambhamohena kiṃcit kuryādasāmpratam| sarvopayairniyamyaḥ sa tathā pāpānnivartate||
That man who, through pride or mistaken judgement, offends against the king in any way, should be governed by every means. It is by this way that he is prevented from committing fresh offences.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.26
आत्मैवादौ नियन्तव्यो दुष्कृतं संनियच्छता। दण्डयेच्च महादण्डैरपि बन्धूननन्तरान्॥
ātmaivādau niyantavyo duṣkṛtaṃ saṃniyacchatā| daṇḍayecca mahādaṇḍairapi bandhūnanantarān||
The king should first control his own self if he mean to control other offenders. He should punish sufficiently even his friends and near relatives.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.27
यत्र वै पापकृन्नचो न महद् दुःखमर्च्छति। वर्धन्ते तत्र पापानि धर्मो हसति च ध्रुवम्॥
yatra vai pāpakṛnnaco na mahad duḥkhamarcchati| vardhante tatra pāpāni dharmo hasati ca dhruvam||
In that kingdom where a wicked offender is not sufficiently punished, offences increase and virtue decreases forsooth.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.28
इति कारुण्यशीलस्तु विद्वान् वै ब्राह्मणोऽन्वशात्। इति चैवानुशिष्टोऽस्मि पूर्व स्तात पितामहैः॥ आश्वासयद्भिः सुभृशमनुक्रोशात् तथैव च। एतत् प्रथमकल्पेन राजा कृतयुगे जयेत्॥
iti kāruṇyaśīlastu vidvān vai brāhmaṇo'nvaśāt| iti caivānuśiṣṭo'smi pūrva stāta pitāmahaiḥ|| āśvāsayadbhiḥ subhṛśamanukrośāt tathaiva ca| etat prathamakalpena rājā kṛtayuge jayet||
Formerly, a Brahmana, endued with mercy and knowledge, taught me this. And, son, I have thus been instructed by also our grandfathers of olden days, who gave such assurances of harınlessness to people, actuated by pity. Their words were,-In the Krita age, kings should govern their subjects by adopting harmless ways.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.29
पादोनेनापि धर्मेण गच्छेत् त्रेतायुगे तथा। द्वापरे तु द्विपादेन पादेन त्वधरे युगे॥
pādonenāpi dharmeṇa gacchet tretāyuge tathā| dvāpare tu dvipādena pādena tvadhare yuge||
In that Treta age kings should act according to ways that follow virtue lessened by a fourth part. In the Dvapara age, they act according to ways conforming with virtue decreased by half, and in the age following, according to ways conforming with virtue decreased by threefourths.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.30
तथा कलियुगे प्राप्ते राज्ञो दुश्चरितेन ह। भवेत् कालविशेषण कला धर्मस्य षोडशी॥
tathā kaliyuge prāpte rājño duścaritena ha| bhavet kālaviśeṣaṇa kalā dharmasya ṣoḍaśī||
When the Kali age begins, through the wickedness of kings and no account of the nature of the age itself, fifteen parts of even that fourth portion of virtue disappear, a sixteenth portion thereof being all that then remains.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.31
अथ प्रथमकल्पेन सत्यवन् संकरो भवेत्। आयुः शक्तिं च कालं च निर्दिश्य तप आदिशेत्॥
atha prathamakalpena satyavan saṃkaro bhavet| āyuḥ śaktiṃ ca kālaṃ ca nirdiśya tapa ādiśet||
If, O Satyavat, by adopting the way mentioned first, confusion sets in, the king, considering the span of human life, the strength of human beings, and the nature of the time that has come, should give punishments.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 8 94.32
सत्याय हि यथा नेह जह्याद् धर्मफलं महत्। भूतानामनुकम्पार्थं मनुः स्वायम्भुवोऽब्रवीत्॥
satyāya hi yathā neha jahyād dharmaphalaṃ mahat| bhūtānāmanukampārthaṃ manuḥ svāyambhuvo'bravīt||
Indeed, Manu, the son of the Self create, has, through pity for human beings, indicated the way by means of which men may follow knowledge for the sake of Liberation."
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)