Shloka 9
Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)
वाचा दण्डो ब्राह्मणानां क्षत्रियाणां भुजार्पणम् | दानदण्डा: स्मृता वैश्या निर्दण्ड: शूद्र उच्चते
vācā daṇḍo brāhmaṇānāṁ kṣatriyāṇāṁ bhujārpaṇam | dāna-daṇḍāḥ smṛtā vaiśyā nirdaṇḍaḥ śūdra ucyate ||
ব্ৰাহ্মণৰ দণ্ড হৈছে বাক্য—তিরস্কাৰ আৰু নিন্দা। ক্ষত্ৰিয়ৰ দণ্ড হৈছে বাহুবলে সেৱাত নিয়োগ। বৈশ্যৰ দণ্ড ধনদণ্ড—জৰিমানা—বুলি স্মৃত। শূদ্ৰক ‘নিৰ্দণ্ড’ বুলি কোৱা হয়; তাৰ সংশোধন সেৱাত নিয়োগতেই সীমিত।
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse outlines a graded theory of punishment (daṇḍa) tied to social roles: Brahmins are corrected primarily through verbal censure, Kshatriyas through enforced service/labor, Vaishyas through financial penalties, and Shudras are described as not receiving formal punitive penalties beyond being made to serve—presented as a traditional schema of discipline and social regulation.
In the Shanti Parva’s discourse on dharma and governance, Arjuna speaks about how punishment should be applied differently across social classes, summarizing a remembered rule of daṇḍanīti (policy of punishment) as part of a broader ethical discussion.