Shloka 70
बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
विभज्य दण्डं रक्ष्यास्तु धर्मतो न यदृच्छया । दुर्वाचा निग्रहो दण्डो हिरण्यबहुलस्तथा
bhīṣma uvāca |
vibhajya daṇḍaṁ rakṣyāstu dharmato na yadṛcchayā |
durvācā nigraho daṇḍo hiraṇyabahulastathā ||
Bhīṣma dit : «La peine doit être répartie distinctement et appliquée selon le dharma, jamais au gré du caprice. La réprimande par des paroles dures, destinée à contenir, est une forme de châtiment ; de même, la peine qui exige beaucoup d’or (une lourde amende) est également prescrite.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Punishment (daṇḍa) must be applied discriminately and in conformity with dharma, not according to personal whim. Even non-physical measures—stern verbal censure and heavy monetary fines—are legitimate forms of restraint when used justly.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous rule, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira on statecraft: how a king should protect the people by administering penalties proportionately and lawfully, emphasizing that governance must be principled rather than arbitrary.