Shloka 9
Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)
वाचा दण्डो ब्राह्मणानां क्षत्रियाणां भुजार्पणम् | दानदण्डा: स्मृता वैश्या निर्दण्ड: शूद्र उच्चते
vācā daṇḍo brāhmaṇānāṁ kṣatriyāṇāṁ bhujārpaṇam | dāna-daṇḍāḥ smṛtā vaiśyā nirdaṇḍaḥ śūdra ucyate ||
ਬ੍ਰਾਹਮਣਾਂ ਲਈ ਦੰਡ ਵਾਣੀ ਹੈ—ਡਾਂਟ-ਫਟਕਾਰ ਤੇ ਨਿੰਦਾ। ਖ਼ਤਰੀਆਂ ਲਈ ਦੰਡ ਭੁਜਬਲ ਨਾਲ ਸੇਵਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਲਗਾਉਣਾ ਹੈ। ਵੈਸ਼ਿਆਂ ਲਈ ਧਨ-ਦੰਡ—ਜੁਰਮਾਨਾ—ਕਿਹਾ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ। ਸ਼ੂਦਰ ਨੂੰ ‘ਨਿਰਦੰਡ’ ਆਖਿਆ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ; ਉਸ ਲਈ ਸੁਧਾਰ ਦਾ ਉਪਾਅ ਸੇਵਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਲਗਾਉਣਾ ਹੀ ਹੈ।
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.
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.