Shloka 32
Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)
अन्ध॑ तम इदेदं स्यान्न प्राज्ञायत किंचन । दण्डश्रेन्न भवेललोके विभजन् साध्वसाधुनी,यदि संसारमें भले-बुरेका विभाग करनेवाला दण्ड न हो तो सब जगह अंधेर मच जाय और किसीको कुछ सूझ न पड़े
andhaṃ tama idedaṃ syān na prājñāyeta kiṃcana | daṇḍaśreṇ na bhavel loke vibhajan sādhv-asādhunī, yadi saṃsāreṃ bhale-bure-kā vibhāga karanevālā daṇḍa na ho to sab jagah andher mac jāy aur kisīko kuch sūjh na paṛe |
Arjuna sprach: „Diese Welt würde in blinde Finsternis sinken; nichts ließe sich recht erkennen. Gäbe es in der Gesellschaft keinen lenkenden Strafstab—keine Autorität, die Gut von Böse scheidet—so herrschte überall Verwirrung, und das sittliche Unterscheidungsvermögen zerfiele.“
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral order in society depends on daṇḍa—legitimate disciplinary authority that distinguishes right from wrong. Without it, ignorance and confusion spread, and people lose the ability to recognize or follow dharma.
Arjuna articulates a political-ethical principle: the world requires an enforcing power (daṇḍa) to separate virtuous from vicious conduct. His statement supports the broader Śānti Parva discussion on governance, justice, and sustaining dharma after the war.