Shloka 11
यत्र श्यामो लोहिताक्षो दण्डश्चरति सूद्यत: । प्रजास्तत्र न मुहान्ते नेता चेत् साधु पश्यति,दण्डनीयपर ऐसी जोरकी मार पड़ती है कि उसकी आँखोंके सामने अँधेरा छा जाता है; इसलिये दण्डको काला कहा गया है। दण्ड देनेवालेकी आँखें क्रोधसे लाल रहती हैं; इसलिये उसे लोहिताक्ष कहते हैं। ऐसा दण्ड जहाँ सर्वथा शासनके लिये उद्यत होकर विचरता रहता है और नेता या शासक अच्छी तरह अपराधोंपर दृष्टि रखता है, वहाँ प्रजा प्रमाद नहीं करती
yatra śyāmo lohitākṣo daṇḍaś carati sūdyataḥ | prajāstatra na muhyante netā cet sādhu paśyati ||
Where the rod of punishment—dark and red-eyed—moves about ever ready to strike, and where the ruler keeps a vigilant and discerning watch over offences, there the people do not fall into confusion or negligence; order is maintained through just oversight and the credible presence of discipline.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Effective and ethical governance requires the credible presence of punishment (daṇḍa) and the ruler’s careful oversight; when discipline is ready and judgement is vigilant, society avoids moral and civic negligence.
The speaker describes the conditions of a well-governed realm: punishment is actively operative and the ruler attentively observes wrongdoing; as a result, the people do not lapse into disorder or heedlessness.