Shloka 37
Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)
न ब्रह्मचार्यधीयीत कल्याणी गौर्न दुह्मृते । न कन्योद्धहनं गच्छेद् यदि दण्डो न पालयेत्
na brahmacāry adhīyīta kalyāṇī gaur na duhmṛte | na kanyoddahanaṃ gacched yadi daṇḍo na pālayet ||
Arjuna berkata: “Jika kuasa hukuman dan pemerintahan—daṇḍa—tidak menegakkan tertib, maka seorang brahmacārin tidak akan menumpukan diri pada pengajian Veda; bahkan lembu yang jinak dan baik budi pun tidak akan mengeluarkan susu; dan seorang gadis tidak akan melangkah ke alam perkahwinan. Tanpa perlindungan kekangan yang sah, rentak biasa dharma dan kehidupan masyarakat akan runtuh.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that daṇḍa—lawful restraint and enforcement by authority—is necessary to safeguard dharma. When order is protected, education, economic life, and family institutions function; when it is not, even basic duties and social trust break down.
In the Shanti Parva’s discussion on dharma and statecraft, Arjuna speaks to emphasize the practical necessity of governance: without enforcement of boundaries, people will not reliably pursue study, livelihood, or marriage, and society becomes unstable.