Shloka 9
Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)
वाचा दण्डो ब्राह्मणानां क्षत्रियाणां भुजार्पणम् | दानदण्डा: स्मृता वैश्या निर्दण्ड: शूद्र उच्चते
vācā daṇḍo brāhmaṇānāṁ kṣatriyāṇāṁ bhujārpaṇam | dāna-daṇḍāḥ smṛtā vaiśyā nirdaṇḍaḥ śūdra ucyate ||
Arjuna dit : «Pour les brahmanes, le châtiment se fait par la parole — réprimande et blâme. Pour les kshatriyas, le châtiment consiste à imposer un service par la force de leurs bras, en les faisant travailler pour leur subsistance. Les vaishyas, dit-on, sont punis par des prélèvements d’argent et des amendes. Le shudra est décrit comme “sans peine punitive” ; pour lui, la seule mesure corrective est de requérir le service, non d’imposer d’autres formes de châtiment».
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse outlines a graded theory of punishment (daṇḍa) tied to social roles: Brahmins are corrected primarily through verbal censure, Kshatriyas through enforced service/labor, Vaishyas through financial penalties, and Shudras are described as not receiving formal punitive penalties beyond being made to serve—presented as a traditional schema of discipline and social regulation.
In the Shanti Parva’s discourse on dharma and governance, Arjuna speaks about how punishment should be applied differently across social classes, summarizing a remembered rule of daṇḍanīti (policy of punishment) as part of a broader ethical discussion.