Dhammaṭṭhavagga · The Just · Gāthā 256

Na tena hoti dhammaṭṭho, yenatthaṃ sāhasā naye; yo ca atthaṃ anatthañca, ubho niccheyya paṇḍito.

Na tena hoti dhammaṭṭho, yenatthaṃ sāhasā naye; yo ca atthaṃ anatthañca, ubho niccheyya paṇḍito.

One is not established in Dhamma by deciding matters by force. The wise one who investigates both what is right and what is wrong,

Na tena hoti dhammaṭṭho — one is not just by that: dhammaṭṭha is one established in Dhamma, the just. Justice is not defined by the force of the decision but by the quality of discernment. Deciding quickly by force is not justice but abuse of power.

Yenatthaṃ sāhasā naye — deciding matters by force: sāhasa is violence, precipitation. A decision imposed by force or haste is not justice.

The wise investigates both sides — what is right (attha) and what is wrong (anattha) — before deciding. This is the Buddhist definition of justice: impartial discernment that examines all aspects of a matter.

In the context of yoga, this teaching corresponds to viveka (discernment): the capacity to distinguish real from unreal, just from unjust, is only possible when examining with impartiality.