Shloka 17
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
इसके सिरपर जटा है, मुखमें दो जिद्वाएँ हैं, मुखका रंग ताँबेके समान है, शरीरको ढकनेके लिये उसने व्याप्रचर्म धारण कर रखा है, इस प्रकार दुर्धर्ष दण्ड सदा यह भयंकर रूप धारण किये रहता हैः ।।
asya śirasi jaṭā, mukhe dve jihve, mukha-varṇaḥ tāmra-sadṛśaḥ; śarīra-ācchādanārthaṃ vyāghra-carma dhārayati. evaṃ durdharṣaḥ daṇḍaḥ sadā bhayaṅkaraṃ rūpaṃ dhārayati. asiḥ dhanur gadā śaktiḥ triśūlaṃ mudgaraḥ śaraḥ, musalaṃ paraśuś cakraṃ pāśo daṇḍa ṛṣṭis tomarāḥ; anye'pi ye ke'pi prahāra-yogyā astrāṇi śastrāṇi ca, teṣāṃ sarveṣāṃ rūpeṇa sarvātmā daṇḍa eva mūrtimān bhūtvā jagati vicarati.
Bhishma disse: “Sobre a cabeça traz madeixas em jata; na boca há duas línguas; o rosto é cor de cobre; e, para cobrir o corpo, veste pele de tigre. Assim, o irresistível Daṇḍa assume sempre esta forma terrível. Espada, arco, maça, lança, tridente, martelo, flecha, clava, machado, disco, laço, bastão, pique, dardo—e quaisquer outras armas próprias para golpear—tudo isso é Daṇḍa: o princípio que tudo permeia, que percorre o mundo encarnado nessas formas.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that Daṇḍa—lawful punishment and coercive authority—is a universal principle that upholds dharma. It is not merely one weapon or one act of force; it is the underlying power that restrains adharma through many forms, functioning as deterrence and enforcement to preserve social order.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma describes Daṇḍa as a fearsome, personified force with ascetic-like features and a tiger-skin. He then lists many weapons to show that all instruments of punitive force are manifestations of Daṇḍa moving through the world.