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 ||
जर दंड मर्यादेचे पालन करवत नसेल, तर सर्वत्र धर्मकर्माचा लोप होईल; सर्व सीमा-बंध तुटून जातील; आणि ‘माझे’ व ‘माझे नाही’—काय कोणाचे—हेही लोकांना कळणार नाही.
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.