Shloka 37
Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)
न ब्रह्मचार्यधीयीत कल्याणी गौर्न दुह्मृते । न कन्योद्धहनं गच्छेद् यदि दण्डो न पालयेत्
na brahmacāry adhīyīta kalyāṇī gaur na duhmṛte | na kanyoddahanaṃ gacched yadi daṇḍo na pālayet ||
قال أرجونا: «إن لم يُقِم الدَنْدَ (daṇḍa)—قوة العقاب والحكم—حِمى النظام، فلن يُقبِل البْرَهْمَچَارِين (brahmacārin) على دراسة الفيدا؛ وحتى البقرة الوديعة حسنة الطبع لن تُدرَّ لبنًا؛ والفتاة لن تمضي إلى الزواج. فبغير حماية الكفّ المشروع تنهار إيقاعات الدارما وحياة المجتمع.»
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that daṇḍa—lawful restraint and enforcement by authority—is necessary to safeguard dharma. When order is protected, education, economic life, and family institutions function; when it is not, even basic duties and social trust break down.
In the Shanti Parva’s discussion on dharma and statecraft, Arjuna speaks to emphasize the practical necessity of governance: without enforcement of boundaries, people will not reliably pursue study, livelihood, or marriage, and society becomes unstable.