Shloka 47
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
सप्तप्रकृति चाष्टाड़ं शरीरमिह यद् विदु: । राज्यस्य दण्डमेवाडुं दण्ड: प्रभव एव च,अथवा संयुक्त अंगके रथी, हाथीसवार, घुड़सवार, पैदल, मन्त्री, वैद्य, भिक्षुक, वकील, ज्योतिषी, दैवज्ञ, कोश, मित्र, धान्य तथा अन्य सब सामग्री, राज्यकी सात प्रकृतियाँ (स्वामी, अमात्य, सुहृद, कोश, राष्ट्र, दुर्ग और सेना) और उपर्युक्त आठ अंगोंसे युक्त बल-- इन सबको राज्यका शरीर माना गया है। इन सबमें दण्ड ही प्रधान अंग है, क्योंकि दण्ड ही सबकी उत्पत्तिका कारण है
saptaprakṛti cāṣṭāṅgaṁ śarīram iha yad viduḥ | rājyasya daṇḍam evāṅgaṁ daṇḍaḥ prabhava eva ca ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Aqui, o que os sábios reconhecem como o ‘corpo’ de um reino é constituído pelos sete elementos fundamentais e pelo aparato óctuplo. Contudo, entre eles, somente daṇḍa—o poder coercitivo e punitivo conforme a lei—é o membro principal da soberania, pois o próprio daṇḍa é a fonte que faz com que todo o sistema venha a existir de modo eficaz.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that although the kingdom is conceived as an organic body made of multiple constituents (seven prakṛtis and an eightfold apparatus), the decisive principle is daṇḍa—lawful coercive power—because it enables the functioning, protection, and stability of all other elements.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma is advising Yudhiṣṭhira on the structure of the state and the necessity of enforcement. He frames the polity as a body with many limbs, then emphasizes daṇḍa as the chief instrument by which a king maintains order and makes governance effective.