Shloka 40
त्रिवर्गमूलनिश्चयः — Determining the Roots of Dharma, Artha, and Kāma
Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 123
विभज्य दण्ड: कर्तव्यो धर्मेण न यदृच्छया । दुष्टानां निग्रहो दण्डो हिरण्यं बाह्मुत: क्रिया
vibhajya daṇḍaḥ kartavyo dharmeṇa na yadṛcchayā | duṣṭānāṃ nigraho daṇḍo hiraṇyaṃ bāhmuṭaḥ kriyā ||
ヴァスハローマは語った。「刑罰はダルマに則り、是非を熟慮して配分されねばならず、恣意に任せてはならない。ダンダ（daṇḍa）の真の目的は悪人を抑え鎮めることであって、黄金を取り立てて国庫を満たすためではない。金銭を罰として徴するのは、外面的で副次的な事柄にすぎぬ。」
वसुहरोम उवाच
Educational Q&A
Punishment must be proportionate and grounded in dharma; its primary aim is to restrain and reform wrongdoers, not to raise revenue through fines.
In the Shanti Parva’s discourse on righteous governance, Vasuharoma explains the proper principle of daṇḍa (punishment): it should be administered judiciously and for moral order, with monetary collection treated as only a secondary byproduct.