Shloka 6
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
जागर्ति च कथं दण्ड: प्रजास्ववहितात्मक: । कश्न पूर्वापरमिदं जागर्ति प्रतिपालयन्
jāgarti ca kathaṃ daṇḍaḥ prajāsva-vahita-ātmakaḥ | kaś ca pūrvāparam idaṃ jāgarti pratipālayan ||
Yudhiṣṭhira asked: “How does the principle of punishment and governance (daṇḍa), ever intent on the welfare of the subjects, remain vigilant? And who is it that, keeping watch, preserves this whole world—this order of what comes before and after?”
युधिछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames governance (daṇḍa) as vigilant, welfare-oriented discipline, and raises the deeper question of what ultimate principle sustains moral and temporal order—implying that just rule mirrors a higher, watchful order that preserves the world.
In the Śānti Parva’s discourse on rājadharma, Yudhiṣṭhira questions how the ruler’s coercive authority can remain constantly alert for the people’s good, and he asks who (or what) continually safeguards the world’s ordered continuity.