Shloka 50
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
भर्तप्रत्यय उत्पन्नो व्यवहारस्तथापर: । तस्माद् यः स हितो दृष्टो भर्तप्रत्ययलक्षण:
bhartapratyaya utpanno vyavahāras tathāparaḥ | tasmād yaḥ sa hito dṛṣṭo bhartapratyayalakṣaṇaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : Il est aussi une forme de procédure juridique qui naît de la confiance accordée à un maître (ou à une autorité), et elle se distingue de la procédure issue d’un litige soulevé par le demandeur et le défendeur. Ainsi, le châtiment ou la décision rendus sur la base d’une telle confiance—dits du type « bhartapratyaya »—sont tenus pour salutaires au bien de l’univers entier.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma distinguishes a type of judicial action grounded in reliance on a recognized authority (a master/guardian/sovereign) from litigation born of mutual dispute, and affirms that decisions/punishments based on such authoritative trust can serve the common welfare when properly applied.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, Bhishma is explaining classifications of vyavahāra (legal/judicial procedure) to Yudhishthira, describing how certain cases arise not from a formal contest between parties but from trust in an authority’s standing, leading to a distinct kind of adjudication and penalty.