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Mahānirvāṇa Tantra cover

॥ श्री ॥tantraFor reading

Mahānirvāṇa Tantra 11.19

Traditional

Ullāsas
14
Verses
2517
Minutes
1258
Level
advanced

Ullāsa 11 · Verse 19

राजदण्डविधिःThe rule of the king's punishment

Verse 19

भृत्यान् पुत्रानुदासीनान् प्रियानपि तथाऽप्रियान् । शासने च तथा न्याये समदृष्ट्याऽवलोकयेत् ॥ १९ ॥

bhṛtyān putrānudāsīnān priyānapi tathā’priyān | śāsanē ca tathā nyāyē samadṛṣṭyā’valōkayēt || 19 ||

Translation

Servants, sons, strangers, those dear and those not dear: in punishment and in justice he should look on all with an equal eye.

Word by word

bhṛtyān
servants
putrān
(putrān) sons
udāsīnān
strangers
priyān
those dear
api
also
tathā
and
apriyān
those not dear
śāsanē
in punishment
ca
and
nyāyē
in justice
samadṛṣṭyā
with an equal eye
avalōkayēt
he should look on

Meaning

Equality before the law is the first rule of royal justice.

Commentary

Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated

He tells the rule of royal punishment itself with "bhṛtyān" and the rest. Servants: those to be supported, ministers and the rest; sons, his own children; the neutral (udāsīna), neither enemies nor friends; those dear, well-wishers; and likewise those not dear, ill-wishers: in punishment and in justice the king should regard them with an equal eye (samadṛṣṭi).