Shloka 16

Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद

Devanagari script

जटी द्विजिहद्वस्ताम्रास्यो मृगराजतनुच्छद: । एतद्‌ रूपं बिभर्त्युग्रंं दण्डो नित्यं दुराधर:

Transliteration

jaṭī dvijihadvastāmrāsyo mṛgarāja-tanucchadaḥ | etad rūpaṃ bibharty ugraṃ daṇḍo nityaṃ durādharaḥ ||

Translation

ภีษมะกล่าวว่า—“เขามีมุ่นผมเป็นชฎา มีสองลิ้น ใบหน้าแดงดุจทองแดง และสวมเครื่องคลุมประหนึ่งกายของราชาแห่งสัตว์ (สิงห์) เขาทรงรูปอันดุร้ายนี้อยู่เสมอ ทัณฑะนั้นยากที่ผู้อื่นจะต้านทานได้.”

Word by Word

जटीmatted-haired

द्विजिहद्वस्ताम्रास्यःwhose coppery mouth is covered with (a skin of) a two-tongued serpent

मृगराजतनुच्छदःwhose body-covering is (the skin of) the king of beasts (lion)

एतत्this

रूपम्form

बिभर्तिbears, wears

उग्रम्terrible, fierce

दण्डःstaff; (personified) Punishment/Discipline

नित्यम्always

दुराधरःhard to bear/withstand

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

daṇḍa (staff/rod of chastisement)

tiger hide

lion (mṛgarāja)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights daṇḍa (chastisement/discipline) as a formidable, ever-present instrument of order. It suggests that authority must be strong and difficult to resist, functioning as a constant restraint that upholds dharma and curbs wrongdoing.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma’s discourse in the Śānti Parva, he describes a fearsome figure marked by ascetic signs (matted hair, animal-skin garment) and by the ever-present daṇḍa. The description underscores the awe and deterrent power associated with enforcing moral and social order.