Shloka 56
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
यश्च दण्ड: स दृष्टो नो व्यवहार: सनातन: । व्यवहारश्न दृष्टो यः: स वेद इति निश्चितम्,जो दण्ड है, वही हमारी दृष्टिमें सनातन व्यवहार है। जो व्यवहार देखा गया है, वही वेद है, यह निश्चितरूपसे कहा जा सकता है
yaś ca daṇḍaḥ sa dṛṣṭo no vyavahāraḥ sanātanaḥ | vyavahāraś ca dṛṣṭo yaḥ sa veda iti niścitam ||
Bhishma said: “That which is called punishment (daṇḍa) is, in our understanding, the eternal foundation of social and legal practice. And whatever established practice is actually seen in the world—this, it is firmly concluded, is (to be treated as) Veda.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma links social order to daṇḍa (the regulating power of punishment/authority) and asserts that long-established, observable practice (vyavahāra/dṛṣṭa) functions as an authoritative guide to dharma—so much so that it may be treated as ‘Veda’ in determining norms.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, Bhishma is teaching Yudhiṣṭhira about the foundations of rule and justice, emphasizing that effective authority and recognized customary/legal practice sustain society and guide decision-making.