Shloka 14
Vidurā–Putra Saṃvāda: Utsāha, Kīrti, and Kṣātra Resolve
Udyoga-parva 131
दण्डनीति: स्वधर्मेण चातुर्वर्ण्य नियच्छति । प्रयुक्ता स्वामिना सम्यगधर्मेभ्यश्व॒ यच्छति
daṇḍanītiḥ svadharmeṇa cāturvarṇyaṃ niyacchati | prayuktā svāminā samyag adharmebhyaś ca yacchati ||
স্বধর্ম অনুসারে প্রয়োগিত দণ্ডনীতি চতুর্বর্ণকে নিয়ন্ত্রণে রাখে; এবং শাসক কর্তৃক যথাযথভাবে প্রয়োগ হলে তা মানুষকে অধর্ম থেকে নিবৃত্ত করে।
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Daṇḍanīti (the ruler’s disciplinary power) is ethically legitimate only when aligned with svadharma and applied correctly; then it preserves social order and restrains adharma rather than becoming oppression.
Vāyudeva is instructing about rājadharma: he explains the function of royal punishment/governance as a stabilizing force that regulates the fourfold social order and prevents people from falling into unrighteous conduct when administered properly.