Shloka 8
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
भीष्म उवाच शृणु कौरव्य यो दण्डो व्यवहारो यथा च स: । यस्मिन् हि सर्वमायत्तं स दण्ड इह केवल:,भीष्मजीने कहा--कुरुनन्दन! दण्डका जो स्वरूप है तथा जिस प्रकार उसको “व्यवहार' कहा जाता है, वह सब तुम्हें बताता हूँ; सुनो। इस संसारमें सब कुछ जिसके अधीन है, वही अद्वितीय पदार्थ यहाँ “दण्ड" कहलाता है
bhīṣma uvāca: śṛṇu kauravya yo daṇḍo vyavahāro yathā ca saḥ | yasmin hi sarvam āyattaṃ sa daṇḍa iha kevalaḥ ||
Sinabi ni Bhīṣma: “Makinig ka, O supling ng mga Kuru. Ipaliwanag ko sa iyo kung ano ang tunay na ‘Daṇḍa’, at kung paanong ito’y tinatawag na ‘vyavahāra’ (pag-aayos ng mga gawain, pamamaraang panghukuman, at praktikal na pamamahala). Sapagkat yaong pinagsasaligan ng lahat sa mundong ito—iyon lamang ang tinatawag dito na Daṇḍa, ang iisang lakas na sumusuporta sa kaayusang panlipunan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that daṇḍa—coercive authority expressed as punishment and enforcement—is the indispensable foundation of orderly life; it is also closely tied to vyavahāra, the practical and legal administration through which justice is carried out.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on kingship and peace, Bhishma addresses Yudhiṣṭhira and begins explaining the nature of daṇḍa and how it functions as vyavahāra—i.e., the king’s system of governance and adjudication on which society depends.