Shloka 18
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
सर्वप्रहरणीयानि सन्ति यानीह कानिचित् । दण्ड एव स सर्वात्मा लोके चरति मूर्तिमान्
sarvapraharaṇīyāni santi yānīha kānicit | daṇḍa eva sa sarvātmā loke carati mūrtimān ||
ビーシュマは言った。この世にある打撃のためのあらゆる器具—いかなる種類であれ—真実はただダṇḍa（刑罰と抑止の力）にほかならない。その遍在する原理、秩序そのものの自己は、具身して世を巡り、武器と強制の手段として姿を現す。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that Daṇḍa—lawful punishment and coercive authority—is the manifest force that upholds order. All weapons and instruments of force are expressions of this single principle; when aligned with dharma, it restrains wrongdoing and protects society.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma explains to the listener (Yudhiṣṭhira in context) the nature of governance: the king’s power to punish is not merely a tool but a universal principle that appears in many forms, including weapons, to maintain worldly order.