Shloka 16
Gārhasthya-Śreṣṭhatā and Kṣatriya-Daṇḍadhāraṇa
Householder Primacy and the Royal Duty of Punishment
सुद्युम्नश्षापि राजर्षि: श्रूयते दण्डधारणात् । प्राप्तवान् परमां सिद्धि दक्ष: प्राचेतसो यथा
sudyumnaś cāpi rājarṣiḥ śrūyate daṇḍadhāraṇāt | prāptavān paramāṁ siddhiṁ dakṣaḥ prācetaso yathā ||
Vyāsa dit : «On rapporte aussi que le sage royal Sudyumna, en prenant sur lui la discipline du bâton—c’est-à-dire la maîtrise de soi et l’autorité juste—atteignit l’accomplissement suprême, tout comme Dakṣa, fils de Pracetas.»
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Supreme success (paramā siddhi) is attributed to disciplined adherence to dharma—symbolized by “bearing the staff” (daṇḍadhāraṇa), which implies self-control and the just exercise of authority rather than mere worldly power.
Vyāsa cites traditional exemplars: Sudyumna is said to have attained the highest perfection through daṇḍadhāraṇa, and Dakṣa Prācetasa is invoked as a parallel case—both serving as authoritative precedents within the Shānti Parva’s ethical instruction.