Shloka 23
Vyavahāra-Śuddhi and Rājadharma: Clean Administration, Counsel, and Proportional Punishment
Chapter 86
सम्यक् प्रणयतो दण्डं भूमिपस्य विशाम्पते । युक्तस्य वा नास्त्यधर्मो धर्म एव हि शाश्वत:
samyak praṇayato daṇḍaṃ bhūmipasya viśāmpate | yuktasya vā nāsty adharmo dharma eva hi śāśvataḥ ||
हे प्रजाजनांचे स्वामी! राजा जेव्हा सम्यक् विचार करून, योग्य मर्यादेत दंड लावतो, तेव्हा त्यात अधर्म नसतो; कारण न्याययुक्त व नियमनबद्ध दंड हाच शाश्वत धर्म ठरतो.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Punishment (daṇḍa) is not inherently adharma; when a ruler administers it correctly—measured, justified, and aligned with dharma—it functions as dharma itself, sustaining social order and justice.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma is advising the king on governance, emphasizing that the rightful, well-regulated use of royal punishment is ethically legitimate and necessary for maintaining dharma.