Adhyaya 28 — Alarka Inquires into Varna and Ashrama Dharma; Madalasa Defines the Fourfold Duties
तस्माद्राज्ञा प्रयत्नेन सर्वे वर्णाः स्वधर्मतः ।
प्रवर्तन्तोऽन्यथा दण्ड्याः स्थाप्याश्चैव स्वकर्मसु ॥
tasmād rājñā prayatnena sarve varṇāḥ svadharmataḥ | pravartanto 'nyathā daṇḍyāḥ sthāpyāś caiva svakarmasu ||
म्हणून राजाने प्रयत्नपूर्वक सर्व वर्ण‑आश्रमांना त्यांच्या त्यांच्या धर्मानुसार प्रवृत्त करावे; जे अन्यथा वागतील त्यांना दंड देऊन त्यांच्या योग्य कर्मांत पुन्हा स्थापन करावे।
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Rule is defined as responsibility: the king must not merely punish but also correct—restoring people to rightful conduct. Justice is rehabilitative as well as deterrent, aiming at dharmic stability.
Didactic dharma material within Purāṇic narration; it supports vaṃśānucarita/ideal kingship ethics rather than directly presenting cosmology or genealogies.
Daṇḍa (punitive power) is treated as a sacred instrument that preserves ṛta/dharma. When used with ‘prayatna’ (disciplined effort), it becomes a stabilizing force that protects both society and the ruler’s own spiritual standing.