Shloka 29
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
अशक्तिः शक्तिरित्येवं मानस्तम्भौ व्ययाव्ययौ । विनयश्न विसर्गश्ष कालाकालौ च भारत
bhīṣma uvāca |
aśaktiḥ śaktir ity evaṁ māna-stambhau vyayāvyayau |
vinayaś ca visargaś ca kālākālau ca bhārata ||
Bhishma said: O Bharata, weakness and strength; honor and rigid pride; expenditure and non-expenditure; humility and generosity; timely action and untimely action—these paired conditions are among the many forms through which the principle of punishment and governance (daṇḍa) manifests in the world. By recognizing these opposites, a ruler (and any moral agent) learns how order is maintained and how conduct is corrected toward dharma.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames ethical and political life through paired opposites (strength/weakness, honor/pride, spending/saving, humility/giving, timely/untimely action). The lesson is that governance and self-governance require discerning these contrasts and applying correction (daṇḍa) and restraint so that conduct aligns with dharma.
In the Śānti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on rājadharma and the principles that sustain social order after the war. Here he continues a catalog of contrasting qualities and conditions, presenting them as manifestations relevant to rule, discipline, and moral decision-making.