Shloka 40
त्रिवर्गमूलनिश्चयः — Determining the Roots of Dharma, Artha, and Kāma
Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 123
विभज्य दण्ड: कर्तव्यो धर्मेण न यदृच्छया । दुष्टानां निग्रहो दण्डो हिरण्यं बाह्मुत: क्रिया
vibhajya daṇḍaḥ kartavyo dharmeṇa na yadṛcchayā | duṣṭānāṃ nigraho daṇḍo hiraṇyaṃ bāhmuṭaḥ kriyā ||
Dijo Vasuharoma: «El castigo debe repartirse tras la debida consideración y conforme al dharma, no imponerse arbitrariamente. El verdadero fin del daṇḍa es contener y reprimir a los malvados; no está destinado a llenar el tesoro tomando oro. Tomar dinero como pena es sólo un aspecto externo y secundario».
वसुहरोम उवाच
Educational Q&A
Punishment must be proportionate and grounded in dharma; its primary aim is to restrain and reform wrongdoers, not to raise revenue through fines.
In the Shanti Parva’s discourse on righteous governance, Vasuharoma explains the proper principle of daṇḍa (punishment): it should be administered judiciously and for moral order, with monetary collection treated as only a secondary byproduct.