Shloka 14
Vidurā–Putra Saṃvāda: Utsāha, Kīrti, and Kṣātra Resolve
Udyoga-parva 131
दण्डनीति: स्वधर्मेण चातुर्वर्ण्य नियच्छति । प्रयुक्ता स्वामिना सम्यगधर्मेभ्यश्व॒ यच्छति
daṇḍanītiḥ svadharmeṇa cāturvarṇyaṃ niyacchati | prayuktā svāminā samyag adharmebhyaś ca yacchati ||
Vāyu dit : La daṇḍanīti, la politique du châtiment et du gouvernement, lorsqu’elle est exercée selon son propre devoir, tient en bride les quatre ordres et les maintient dans la discipline. Employée avec justesse par le souverain, elle retient aussi les hommes de l’inconduite.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Daṇḍanīti (the ruler’s disciplinary power) is ethically legitimate only when aligned with svadharma and applied correctly; then it preserves social order and restrains adharma rather than becoming oppression.
Vāyudeva is instructing about rājadharma: he explains the function of royal punishment/governance as a stabilizing force that regulates the fourfold social order and prevents people from falling into unrighteous conduct when administered properly.