Shloka 18
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
सर्वप्रहरणीयानि सन्ति यानीह कानिचित् । दण्ड एव स सर्वात्मा लोके चरति मूर्तिमान्
sarvapraharaṇīyāni santi yānīha kānicit | daṇḍa eva sa sarvātmā loke carati mūrtimān ||
Bhīṣma dijo: Cualesquiera instrumentos de golpe que existan en este mundo—sean del tipo que sean—son, en verdad, el Daṇḍa (el poder del castigo y la contención). Ese principio omnipresente, el propio Ser del orden, recorre el mundo encarnado, apareciendo en las formas de las armas y de los medios de coerción.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that Daṇḍa—lawful punishment and coercive authority—is the manifest force that upholds order. All weapons and instruments of force are expressions of this single principle; when aligned with dharma, it restrains wrongdoing and protects society.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma explains to the listener (Yudhiṣṭhira in context) the nature of governance: the king’s power to punish is not merely a tool but a universal principle that appears in many forms, including weapons, to maintain worldly order.