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sumitsehrawat
July 8th, 2005, 12:05 PM
We may juggle with man-made laws and try to fool human courts but there is one judgement that comes from the "unseen" for which there is no appeal. There is no virtue so great an God-like, as "Justice". The four pillars of a Government are religion, justice, good counsel and treasure. Justice is like the kingdom of God; it is within us, as a great yearning. It is 'truth' in action. He who rules over men should hence be just and honest.
While revenge may be described as the action of an individual against another who commited a wrong, punishment is resorted to by society against one who has transgressed its laws. Most of the terms designated as crimes or offences in Sanskrit are essentially religious in nature. No strict line can be drawn between sins and punishable offences. The ancient law books contain lists of crimes and their methods of perpetration. How the law-givers dealt with those who indulged in these offences is also spelt out, ranging from cutting a finger initially upto severing the head when a person turns incorrigible.
The Laws codified by Manu give the details of judicial administration. The cow has been held sacred and hence its killing has been made a crime. Generations of rulers followed Manus Laws strictly and people felt satisfied that the real culprits were severely dealt with. A Chola King, "Ezhaaran" who lived in Thiruvarur was an ardent upholder of Justice and follower of Manu's Dharmasastras. Hence he was affectionately called "Manu Needi Cholan". To render justice to people who felt they were wronged, he caused a huge bell to be hung in front of the palace. When someone desired to seek his help, all that he had to do was to pull the rope, making the bell sound and attract the attention of the ruler. Once, to his surprise, he noticed a cow seeking Justice through this process. The culprit was his own son who had run the chariot over the calf of the complainant-cow. It was the king's duty to render Justice to the animal too and he ordered the prince to lie on the road and had his chariot driven personally, to crush the latter. There were showers of praise for his daring act.


August 31, 1988
The Hindu

raj2rif
July 10th, 2005, 09:38 PM
True, that is exactly how it should be. However when we talk about our current leaders and rulers, the things are exactly opposite. Here may be a justice seeker would be eliminated if the offender is related to the rular or is mighty.