Shloka 32

Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)

Devanagari script

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

Transliteration

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 |

Translation

Arjuna said: “This world would sink into blind darkness; nothing could be rightly understood. If there were no governing rod of punishment in society—no authority to distinguish the good from the bad—confusion would prevail everywhere and moral discernment would collapse.”

Word by Word

• अन्धः: blind, dark
• अन्धः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्ध
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तमः: darkness
• तमः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमस्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• इदं: this (world/state)
• इदं: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• स्यात्: would be
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• प्राज्ञायत: would be known/understood
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), 3rd, Singular, Atmanepada, Impersonal/passive sense: 'would be known/understood'

• किंचन: anything at all
• किंचन: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किंचन
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• दण्डः: punishment; the rod (authority)
• दण्डः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्ड
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• श्रेयः: good; welfare; the better course
• श्रेयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रेयस्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• भवेत्: would be
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• विभजन्: dividing; distinguishing
• विभजन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-भज्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• साधु: the good
• साधु: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: साधु
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• असाधु: the bad
• असाधु: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: असाधु
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• daṇḍa (royal punishment/disciplinary authority)