Shloka 4
Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)
दण्डेन रक्ष्यते धान्यं धनं दण्डेन रक्ष्यते । एवं विद्वानुपाधत्स्व भावं पश्यस्व लौकिकम्,दण्डसे धान्यकी रक्षा होती है, उसीसे धनकी भी रक्षा होती है; ऐसा जानकर आप भी दण्ड धारण कीजिये और जगतके व्यवहारपर दृष्टि डालिये
arjuna uvāca | daṇḍena rakṣyate dhānyaṃ dhanaṃ daṇḍena rakṣyate | evaṃ vidvān upādhatsva bhāvaṃ paśyasva laukikam ||
Arjuna said: “By the rod of authority, grain is protected; by that same authority, wealth too is protected. Knowing this, you should also take up the power of punishment and look to the way the world actually functions.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate authority and the capacity to punish wrongdoing (daṇḍa) are presented as necessary instruments for protecting society’s essentials—food supply and wealth—thereby sustaining order and dharma in practical life.
Arjuna urges the addressed authority figure to adopt a firm, worldly-realistic stance: to wield daṇḍa as a ruler would, because without enforcement, protection of resources and social stability cannot be maintained.