Shloka 50
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
भर्तप्रत्यय उत्पन्नो व्यवहारस्तथापर: । तस्माद् यः स हितो दृष्टो भर्तप्रत्ययलक्षण:
bhartapratyaya utpanno vyavahāras tathāparaḥ | tasmād yaḥ sa hito dṛṣṭo bhartapratyayalakṣaṇaḥ ||
भीष्म उवाच— भर्तृप्रत्ययात् (स्वामिविश्वासात्) उत्पन्नो व्यवहारोऽपरोऽपि विद्यते; स च वादीप्रतिवादिविवादोत्थव्यवहाराद् भिन्नः। तस्मात् तादृशप्रत्ययाधारितो यो निर्णयः दण्डो वा, स ‘भर्तृप्रत्ययलक्षणः’ इति ज्ञेयः; स च सर्वलोकहितकर इति दृष्टः।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma distinguishes a type of judicial action grounded in reliance on a recognized authority (a master/guardian/sovereign) from litigation born of mutual dispute, and affirms that decisions/punishments based on such authoritative trust can serve the common welfare when properly applied.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, Bhishma is explaining classifications of vyavahāra (legal/judicial procedure) to Yudhishthira, describing how certain cases arise not from a formal contest between parties but from trust in an authority’s standing, leading to a distinct kind of adjudication and penalty.