Shloka 34
Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)
सर्वो दण्डजितो लोको दुर्लभो हि शुचिर्जन: । दण्डस्य हि भयाद् भीतो भोगायैव प्रवर्तते
sarvo daṇḍajito loko durlabho hi śucir janaḥ | daṇḍasya hi bhayād bhīto bhogāyaiva pravartate ||
Arjuna dijo: «El mundo entero es contenido por el castigo; en verdad, es difícil hallar a alguien naturalmente puro. Por temor al castigo, las personas se refrenan y avanzan por la senda de la conducta debida, inclinándose hacia un goce regulado y no hacia el impulso sin ley.»
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
That social order largely depends on daṇḍa (punitive authority): since truly pure people are rare, fear of punishment is what commonly restrains wrongdoing and keeps people within moral and legal limits.
In the Shānti Parva’s discussion on governance and dharma, Arjuna voices a pragmatic observation about human conduct: most people follow rules not from innate purity but because discipline and punishment deter transgression.