Shloka 28
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
अन्तश्नादिश्व मध्यं च कृत्यानां च प्रपठडचनम् | मद: प्रमादो दर्पश्ष दम्भो धैर्य नयानयौ
bhīṣma uvāca | antaḥśnādiś ca madhyaṃ ca kṛtyānāṃ ca prapaṭhaḍacanam | madaḥ pramādo darpaś ca dambho dhairyaṃ nayānayau |
Bhishma berkata: Ada sisi batin, ada awal dan tengah, dan ada pula perluasan berbagai perbuatan. Mabuk kuasa, kelalaian, kesombongan, kemunafikan, keteguhan, serta kebijakan dan tanpa kebijakan—semua ini, bersama pasangan-pasangan berlawanan yang tak terbilang, disebut sebagai banyak nama dan rupa daṇḍa. Wahai yang terbaik di antara Kuru, demikianlah daṇḍa menampakkan diri dalam banyak cara di dunia ini.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Daṇḍa (restraint/punitive authority) is not a single act but a broad governing principle that manifests through many conditions and opposites—virtue and vice, prudence and folly, strength and weakness—shaping social order and personal conduct.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rāja-dharma, Bhishma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira, explaining that the ruler’s instrument of order (daṇḍa) has many forms and is reflected in diverse human qualities and outcomes.