Shloka 9

Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)

Devanagari script

वाचा दण्डो ब्राह्मणानां क्षत्रियाणां भुजार्पणम्‌ | दानदण्डा: स्मृता वैश्या निर्दण्ड: शूद्र उच्चते

Transliteration

vācā daṇḍo brāhmaṇānāṁ kṣatriyāṇāṁ bhujārpaṇam | dāna-daṇḍāḥ smṛtā vaiśyā nirdaṇḍaḥ śūdra ucyate ||

Translation

Arjuna berkata: “Bagi Brahmin, hukuman ialah melalui kata-kata—teguran dan celaan. Bagi Kshatriya, hukuman ialah dikenakan khidmat dengan kekuatan lengan, yakni dipaksa bekerja demi sara hidup. Vaishya dikatakan dihukum melalui tuntutan wang dan denda. Shudra pula digambarkan ‘tanpa hukuman punitif’; baginya, satu-satunya langkah pembetulan ialah mengambil khidmatnya, bukan mengenakan bentuk hukuman lain.”

Word by Word

• वाचा: by speech
• वाचा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच्
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• दण्डः: punishment
• दण्डः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्ड
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ब्राह्मणानाम्: of Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणानाम्: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• क्षत्रियाणाम्: of Kshatriyas
• क्षत्रियाणाम्: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षत्रिय
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• भुजार्पणम्: offering of the arm (i.e., bodily service/force)
• भुजार्पणम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भुज-अर्पण
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• दानदण्डाः: punishments consisting of fines/forfeiture (lit. 'giving-penalties')
• दानदण्डाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान-दण्ड
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• स्मृताः: are considered/are remembered (as)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ
• Form: Perfect passive participle (PPP), Plural

• वैश्याः: Vaishyas
• वैश्याः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैश्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• निर्दण्डः: without punishment
• निर्दण्डः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्दण्ड
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शूद्रः: the Shudra
• शूद्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उच्यते: is said/is called
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Passive

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Brahmin (Brāhmaṇa)
• Kshatriya (Kṣatriya)
• Vaishya (Vaiśya)
• Shudra (Śūdra)
• Daṇḍa (punishment/penalty)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse outlines a graded theory of punishment (daṇḍa) tied to social roles: Brahmins are corrected primarily through verbal censure, Kshatriyas through enforced service/labor, Vaishyas through financial penalties, and Shudras are described as not receiving formal punitive penalties beyond being made to serve—presented as a traditional schema of discipline and social regulation.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s discourse on dharma and governance, Arjuna speaks about how punishment should be applied differently across social classes, summarizing a remembered rule of daṇḍanīti (policy of punishment) as part of a broader ethical discussion.