Shloka 35
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
दण्डेन रक्ष्यमाणा हि राजन्नहरह: प्रजा: । राजानं वर्धयन्तीह तस्माद् दण्ड: परायणम्
daṇḍena rakṣyamāṇā hi rājan aharahaḥ prajāḥ | rājānaṁ vardhayantīha tasmād daṇḍaḥ parāyaṇam, rājan ||
Bhīṣma dit : Ô roi, ce n’est que lorsque le peuple est protégé jour après jour par le daṇḍa (l’autorité coercitive de la loi) qu’il prospère ; et, en retour, il fortifie sans cesse le roi ici—par les richesses, les grains et son soutien. C’est pourquoi, ô roi, le daṇḍa est le refuge ultime et le fondement qui soutient tous les êtres.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s foremost duty is to protect society through just enforcement (daṇḍa). When law and punishment restrain wrongdoing, the people flourish and naturally sustain the kingdom; thus daṇḍa is presented as the essential support of governance.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma addresses the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) and explains why the ruler must maintain order: protected subjects prosper and thereby enrich and strengthen the ruler and the realm.