who can judge?

[Guest guest]

PAMHO! AGTSP!

 

About justice, here is one relevant quote from the laws of Manu.

It includes many important points.

 

14. For the (king's) sake the Lord formerly created his own son,

Punishment, the protector of all creatures, (an incarnation of) the

law, formed of Brahman's glory.

15. Through fear of him all created beings, both the immovable

and the movable, allow themselves to be enjoyed and swerve not from

their duties.

16. Having fully considered the time and the place (of the

offence), the strength and the knowledge (of the offender), let him

justly inflict that (punishment) on men who act unjustly.

17. Punishment is (in reality) the king (and) the male, that the

manager of affairs, that the ruler, and that is called the surety

for the four orders' obedience to the law.

18. Punishment alone governs all created beings, punishment alone

protects them, punishment watches over them while they sleep; the

wise declare punishment (to be identical with) the law.

19. If (punishment) is properly inflicted after (due)

consideration, it makes all people happy; but inflicted without

consideration, it destroys everything.

20. If the king did not, without tiring, inflict punishment on

those worthy to be punished, the stronger would roast the weaker,

like fish on a spit;

21. The crow would eat the sacrificial cake and the dog would

lick the sacrificial viands, and ownership would not remain with any

one, the lower ones would (usurp the place of) the higher ones.

22. The whole world is kept in order by punishment, for a

guiltless man is hard to find; through fear of punishment the whole world

yields the enjoyments (which it owes).

23. The gods, the Danavas, the Gandharvas, the Rakshasas, the

bird and snake deities even give the enjoyments (due from them)

only, if they are tormented by (the fear of) punishment.

24. All castes (varna) would be corrupted (by intermixture), all

barriers would be broken through, and all men would rage (against

each other) in consequence of mistakes with respect to punishment.

25. But where Punishment with a black hue and red eyes stalks

about, destroying sinners, there the subjects are not disturbed,

provided that he who inflicts it discerns well.

26. They declare that king to be a just inflicter of punishment,

who is truthful, who acts after due consideration, who is wise, and

who knows (the respective value of) virtue, pleasure, and wealth.

27. A king who properly inflicts (punishment), prospers with

respect to (those) three (means of happiness); but he who is

voluptuous, partial, and deceitful will be destroyed, even through

the (unjust) punishment (which he inflicts).

28. Punishment (possesses) a very bright lustre, and is hard to

be administered by men with unimproved minds; it strikes down the

king who swerves from his duty, together with his relatives.

29. Next it will afflict his castles, his territories, the whole

world together with the movable and immovable (creation), likewise

the sages and the gods, who (on the failure of offerings) ascend to the

sky.

30. (Punishment) cannot be inflicted justly by one who has no

assistant, (nor) by a fool, (nor) by a covetous man, (nor) by one

whose mind is unimproved, (nor) by one addicted to sensual pleasures.

31. By him who is pure (and) faithful to his promise, who acts

according to the Institutes (of the sacred law), who has good

assistants and is wise, punishment can be (justly) inflicted.

32. Let him act with justice in his own domain, with rigour

chastise his enemies, behave without duplicity towards his friends,

and be lenient towards Brahmanas.

 

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