Shloka 32
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
असूया चानसूया च धर्माधर्मा तथैव च । अपत्रपानपत्रपे द्वीक्ष सम्पद्धविपत्पदम्
bhīṣma uvāca | asūyā cān asūyā ca dharmādharmā tathaiva ca | apatrāpānapatrape dīkṣā sampad-vipat-padam ||
भीष्म उवाच—असूया चानसूया च धर्माधर्मौ तथैव च। अपत्रपा पत्रपा च, सम्पद्विपत्त्यौ च—एते चान्ये च द्वन्द्वभावा दण्डस्यैव नानानामरूपाणि। कुरुश्रेष्ठ, एवं लोके दण्डस्य शक्तिः असंख्यप्रकारेण प्रादुर्भवति, उत्कर्षापकर्षाभ्यां भूतानां धर्मव्यवस्थां प्रकाशयति।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that the forces that elevate or restrain human behavior—virtues and vices, success and failure—can be understood as manifestations of daṇḍa, the regulating power that sustains social and moral order through discipline, consequence, and governance.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on statecraft and righteousness, Bhishma addresses the Kuru king (Yudhiṣṭhira) and explains how daṇḍa operates in the world in many forms, listing paired opposites to show its pervasive role in shaping outcomes and character.