Shloka 41
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
ईश्वर: पुरुष: प्राण: सत्त्वं चित्तं प्रजापति: । भूतात्मा जीव इत्येवं नामश्रि: प्रोच्यतेडष्टभि:
īśvaraḥ puruṣaḥ prāṇaḥ sattvaṁ cittaṁ prajāpatiḥ | bhūtātmā jīva ityevaṁ nāmaśriḥ procyate ’ṣṭabhiḥ ||
Bhishma said: The principle of royal punishment and governance (daṇḍa) is spoken of through eight appellations—Īśvara (the Lord), Puruṣa (the Person), Prāṇa (the vital force), Sattva (the sustaining quality), Citta (the mind), Prajāpati (the lord of creatures), Bhūtātman (the self within beings), and Jīva (the living individual). By naming it thus, the teaching frames daṇḍa not as mere violence, but as a life-sustaining, order-creating power that upholds dharma when rightly applied.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Daṇḍa (the coercive power of rule and punishment) is presented as a dharmic, life-sustaining principle with cosmic and psychological dimensions. By giving it eight exalted names, the text teaches that punishment is not merely retribution but a force meant to preserve order, protect beings, and support righteous conduct when exercised with restraint and discernment.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance and dharma after the war, Bhishma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on statecraft and moral rule. Here he explains the nature of daṇḍa by listing its eight traditional appellations, elevating the concept from a political tool to a principle tied to life, mind, and cosmic order.