Shloka 3
Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)
दण्ड: संरक्षते धर्म तथैवार्थ जनाधिप । कार्म संरक्षते दण्डस्त्रिवर्गों दण्ड उच्यते,जनेश्वर! दण्ड ही धर्म और अर्थकी रक्षा करता है, वही कामका भी रक्षक है, अतः दण्ड त्रिवर्गरूप कहा जाता है
arjuna uvāca |
daṇḍaḥ saṁrakṣate dharmaṁ tathaivārthaṁ janādhipa |
kāmaṁ saṁrakṣate daṇḍas trivargo daṇḍa ucyate ||
Arjuna sprach: „O Herrscher der Menschen, daṇḍa bewahrt das Dharma und schützt ebenso das Artha; auch das Kāma zügelt und ordnet er. Darum heißt es, daṇḍa trage und wahre die drei Lebensziele (trivarga).“
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate royal punishment (daṇḍa) is not mere violence; it is a moral-political instrument that preserves dharma, secures social and economic welfare (artha), and keeps desire (kāma) within lawful bounds—thus sustaining the trivarga.
In the Shanti Parva’s discussion of kingship and right conduct, Arjuna addresses a ruler and emphasizes that governance through daṇḍa is essential for maintaining the three aims of life, framing punishment as protective and regulative rather than arbitrary.