Shloka 4
Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)
दण्डेन रक्ष्यते धान्यं धनं दण्डेन रक्ष्यते । एवं विद्वानुपाधत्स्व भावं पश्यस्व लौकिकम्
arjuna uvāca | daṇḍena rakṣyate dhānyaṃ dhanaṃ daṇḍena rakṣyate | evaṃ vidvān upādhatsva bhāvaṃ paśyasva laukikam ||
Arjuna dit : «Par le bâton de l’autorité, le grain est protégé ; par cette même autorité, la richesse l’est aussi. Sachant cela, prends toi aussi le pouvoir de châtier et considère la manière dont le monde fonctionne réellement.»
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate authority and the capacity to punish wrongdoing (daṇḍa) are presented as necessary instruments for protecting society’s essentials—food supply and wealth—thereby sustaining order and dharma in practical life.
Arjuna urges the addressed authority figure to adopt a firm, worldly-realistic stance: to wield daṇḍa as a ruler would, because without enforcement, protection of resources and social stability cannot be maintained.