Shloka 30
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
अनुतं ज्ञानिता सत्यं श्रद्धाश्रद्धे तथैव च | क्लीबता व्यवसायक्षु लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ,अर्थ-अनर्थ, सुख-दुःख, धर्म-अधर्म, बल-अबल, दौर्भाग्य-सौभाग्य, पुण्य-पाप, गुण- अवगुण, काम-अकाम, ऋतु-मास, दिन-रात, क्षण, प्रमाद-अप्रमाद, हर्ष-क्रोध, शम-दम, दैव-पुरुषार्थ, बन्ध-मोक्ष, भय-अभय, हिंसा-अहिंसा, तप-यज्ञ, संयम, विष-अविष, आदि, अन्त, मध्य, कार्यविस्तार, मद, असावधानता, दर्प, दम्भ, धैर्य, नीति-अनीति, शक्ति- अशक्ति, मान, स्तब्धता, व्यय-अव्यय, विनय, दान, काल-अकाल, सत्य-असत्य, ज्ञान, श्रद्धा-अश्रद्धा, अकर्मण्यता, उद्योग, लाभ-हानि, जय-पराजय, तीक्ष्णता-मृदुता, मृत्यु, आना-जाना, विरोध-अविरोध, कर्तव्य-अकर्तव्य, सबलता-निर्बलता, असूया-अनसूया, धर्म- अधर्म, लज्जा-अलज्जा, सम्पत्ति-विपत्ति, स्थान, तेज, कर्म, पाण्डित्य, वाकृशक्ति तथा तत्त्ववोध--ये सब दण्डके ही अनेक नाम और रूप हैं। कुरुनन्दन! इस प्रकार इस जगतमें दण्डके बहुत-से रूप हैं
bhīṣma uvāca | anṛtaṃ jñānitā satyaṃ śraddhāśraddhe tathaiva ca | klībatā vyavasāyaś ca lābhālābhau jayājayau |
Bhishma said: Untruth and truth ascertained by knowledge, faith and lack of faith—likewise impotence and resolve; gain and loss, victory and defeat—these and the many other paired conditions by which life is experienced are all spoken of as diverse names and forms of daṇḍa (the governing principle of restraint and retribution). O best of the Kurus, thus in this world daṇḍa appears in countless manifestations, shaping conduct through consequences and moral order.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames the many opposites that govern human experience—truth/falsehood, faith/doubt, resolve/weakness, gain/loss, victory/defeat—as manifestations of daṇḍa: the regulating principle of restraint and consequence that sustains social and moral order.
In the Shanti Parva dialogue, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on statecraft and dharma. Here he emphasizes that daṇḍa is not merely physical punishment but a pervasive ordering force seen through the paired outcomes and conditions that shape behavior in the world.