Shloka 76

Devanagari script

दण्डनीति: स्वथर्मेभ्यश्चातुर्वर्ण्य नियच्छति । प्रयुक्ता स्वामिना सम्यगधर्मेभ्यो नियच्छति

Transliteration

daṇḍanītiḥ svadharmebhyaś cāturvarṇyaṃ niyacchati | prayuktā svāminā samyag adharmebhyo niyacchati ||

Translation

Bhīṣma disse: “A daṇḍanīti, a ciência da punição e do governo, refreia as quatro varṇa para que não se desviem de seus próprios deveres. Quando aplicada corretamente pelo soberano, ela também os impede de cair em conduta injusta (adharma).”

Word by Word

दण्डनीतिःpolicy of punishment; governance by punishment

स्वधर्मेभ्यःfrom (their) own duties

चातुर्वर्ण्यम्the fourfold social order (of varṇas)

नियच्छतिrestrains; keeps in check

प्रयुक्ताemployed; applied

स्वामिनाby the master/king

सम्यक्properly; rightly

अधर्मेभ्यःfrom unrighteous acts; from adharma

नियच्छतिrestrains; keeps in check

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

daṇḍanīti (punitive governance)

cāturvarṇya (four varṇas)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Daṇḍanīti—punitive and administrative governance—functions as a moral regulator: it keeps society aligned with svadharma and prevents descent into adharma, provided the ruler applies it correctly and proportionately.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma is teaching Yudhiṣṭhira about the necessity of disciplined governance: the king’s proper use of punishment and law maintains social order and curbs wrongdoing.