Shloka 12
Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)
ब्रह्मचारी गृहस्थश्व वानप्रस्थश्व भिक्षुक: । दण्डस्यैव भयादेते मनुष्या वर्त्मनि स्थिता:,ब्रह्मचारी, गृहस्थ, वानप्रस्थ और संन्यासी--ये सभी मनुष्य दण्डके ही भयसे अपने- अपने मार्गपर स्थिर रहते हैं
brahmacārī gṛhasthaś ca vānaprasthaś ca bhikṣukaḥ | daṇḍasyaiva bhayād ete manuṣyā vartmani sthitāḥ ||
Dijo Arjuna: “El brahmacārin (estudiante), el cabeza de familia, el morador del bosque y el mendicante: los hombres en todas estas etapas de la vida se mantienen firmes en sus sendas principalmente por temor al castigo (daṇḍa).” El verso subraya el papel de la disciplina social y de un orden exigible para sostener el dharma a lo largo del sistema de āśramas.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
That enforceable authority (daṇḍa)—the capacity to punish wrongdoing—functions as a practical support for dharma, keeping people steady in their prescribed duties across the four āśramas.
Arjuna is speaking within the Shānti Parva’s discussion of dharma and governance, pointing out that social roles and life-stages are often maintained not only by inner virtue but also by the external restraint created by the fear of punishment.