Shloka 40
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
प्रकाशश्चाप्रकाशश्न दण्डो5थ परिशब्दित: । प्रकाशो5ष्टविधस्तत्र गुहाश्न बहुविस्तर:
prakāśaś cāprakāśaś ca daṇḍo 'tha pariśabditaḥ | prakāśo 'ṣṭavidhās tatra guhyaś ca bahuvistaraḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: Sarana paksaan dan hukuman (daṇḍa) dihuraikan sebagai dua jenis—terbuka (nyata) dan tersembunyi (tidak nyata). Daripadanya, bentuk terbuka dikatakan berlapis lapan, manakala bentuk tersembunyi digambarkan mempunyai ruang lingkup yang sangat luas dan rumit. Ajaran ini membingkai ilmu pemerintahan secara beretika: hukuman dan kekuatan mesti difahami dalam operasi yang kelihatan dan yang tersembunyi, agar pemerintah mengekang kejahatan tanpa tergelincir kepada mudarat yang sewenang-wenang atau rahsia.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Daṇḍa (the ruler’s coercive authority) operates in two modes—open and concealed. Ethical governance requires recognizing both: visible enforcement has defined forms, while hidden measures are broader and therefore demand greater restraint and discernment to remain aligned with dharma.
In Bhishma’s instruction on rajadharma in the Shanti Parva, he classifies the instruments of punishment/force. He states that daṇḍa is of two kinds (open and secret), notes that the open kind is eightfold, and indicates that the secret kind has extensive scope.