Shloka 11
Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)
यत्र श्यामो लोहिताक्षो दण्डश्चरति सूद्यत: । प्रजास्तत्र न मुहान्ते नेता चेत् साधु पश्यति
yatra śyāmo lohitākṣo daṇḍaś carati sūdyataḥ | prajāstatra na muhyante netā cet sādhu paśyati ||
حيثُ يسيرُ عصا العقاب—مظلمةً حمراءَ العينين—دائمةَ الاستعداد للضرب، وحيثُ يراقبُ الحاكمُ المخالفاتِ بيقظةٍ وبصيرةٍ نافذة، هناك لا يقعُ الناسُ في اضطرابٍ ولا في غفلة؛ إذ يُصانُ النظامُ برقابةٍ عادلةٍ وبحضورٍ مُهابٍ للانضباط.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Effective and ethical governance requires the credible presence of punishment (daṇḍa) and the ruler’s careful oversight; when discipline is ready and judgement is vigilant, society avoids moral and civic negligence.
The speaker describes the conditions of a well-governed realm: punishment is actively operative and the ruler attentively observes wrongdoing; as a result, the people do not lapse into disorder or heedlessness.