Shloka 12
Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)
ब्रह्मचारी गृहस्थश्व वानप्रस्थश्व भिक्षुक: । दण्डस्यैव भयादेते मनुष्या वर्त्मनि स्थिता:,ब्रह्मचारी, गृहस्थ, वानप्रस्थ और संन्यासी--ये सभी मनुष्य दण्डके ही भयसे अपने- अपने मार्गपर स्थिर रहते हैं
brahmacārī gṛhasthaś ca vānaprasthaś ca bhikṣukaḥ | daṇḍasyaiva bhayād ete manuṣyā vartmani sthitāḥ ||
Disse Arjuna: “O brahmacārin (estudante), o chefe de família, o habitante da floresta e o mendicante—os homens em todos esses estágios da vida permanecem firmes em seus caminhos sobretudo por temor ao castigo (daṇḍa).” O verso ressalta o papel da disciplina social e de uma ordem executável na sustentação do dharma ao longo do sistema de āśrama.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
That enforceable authority (daṇḍa)—the capacity to punish wrongdoing—functions as a practical support for dharma, keeping people steady in their prescribed duties across the four āśramas.
Arjuna is speaking within the Shānti Parva’s discussion of dharma and governance, pointing out that social roles and life-stages are often maintained not only by inner virtue but also by the external restraint created by the fear of punishment.