Shloka 38
Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)
विष्वग्लोप: प्रवर्तेत भिद्येरन् सर्वसेतव: । ममत्वं न प्रजानीयुर्यदि दण्डो न पालयेत्
viśvag-lopaḥ pravarteta bhidyeran sarva-setavaḥ | mamatvaṃ na prajānīyur yadi daṇḍo na pālayet ||
アルジュナは言った。「もしダンダ（daṇḍa）が秩序を支えぬなら、普遍の崩壊が起こる。四方にわたりダルマの営みは失われ、あらゆる境界と抑制は砕け散り、人々は『我がもの』と『我がものにあらず』の感覚すら失い、何が誰のものかも分からなくなる。」
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
That daṇḍa—legitimate punitive authority and enforcement of norms—is necessary to preserve dharma and social boundaries; without it, moral and legal distinctions collapse, including basic recognition of ownership and restraint.
In the Śānti Parva’s discussion on rājadharma (the duties of kings), Arjuna raises a governance-based argument: if the ruler does not maintain daṇḍa, society falls into disorder, with broken ‘setus’ (limits/constraints) and confusion about rights and property.