Shloka 48
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
ईश्वरेण प्रयत्नेन कारणात् क्षत्रियस्य च | दण्डो दत्त: समानात्मा दण्डो हीद॑ सनातनम्
īśvareṇa prayatnena kāraṇāt kṣatriyasya ca | daṇḍo dattaḥ samānātmā daṇḍo hīdaṁ sanātanam ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Durch die Anordnung des Herrn und durch das bewusste Bemühen der Menschen—und weil dies Ursache und Pflicht des Kṣatriya ist—wurde daṇḍa, seinem Wesen nach unparteiisch, eingesetzt. Wahrlich, dieses Prinzip des daṇḍa ist in dieser Welt ewig.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Daṇḍa—lawful coercion and punishment—is a timeless principle meant to uphold dharma. It is to be applied with an impartial nature (samānātmā), and its administration is especially tied to the Kṣatriya’s role in protecting social order, under the overarching ordinance of Īśvara and through human effort.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma is teaching Yudhiṣṭhira about kingship and justice. Here he explains why the power to punish exists, grounding it in divine ordinance, practical effort, and the Kṣatriya’s governing responsibility.