Shloka 31
Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)
सत्यं चेदं ब्रह्मणा पूर्वमुक्तं दण्ड: प्रजा रक्षति साधु नीत: । पश्याग्नयश्ष प्रतिशाम्य भीता: संतर्जिता दण्डभयाज्ज्वलन्ति
arjuna uvāca | satyaṁ cedaṁ brahmaṇā pūrvam uktaṁ daṇḍaḥ prajā rakṣati sādhu nītaḥ | paśyāgnayaś ca pratiśāmyamānā bhītāḥ santarjitā daṇḍa-bhayāj jvalanti ||
Sinabi ni Arjuna: “Tunay nga ito, gaya ng ipinahayag ni Brahmā noong unang panahon: ang parusa—kapag wastong ipinataw—ay nagtatanggol sa mga tao. Tingnan ninyo ang apoy: kapag nagsisimula itong mamatay, natatakot ito kapag ginulo at pinagbantaan; dahil sa takot sa pamalo, muli itong naglalagablab.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Properly administered daṇḍa (punishment/discipline) is not mere cruelty but a protective instrument of dharma: it restrains wrongdoing and thereby safeguards the community.
Arjuna supports the doctrine of governance by citing Brahmā’s earlier statement and illustrates it with a vivid simile: like a fading fire that flares up when stirred and threatened, people (or social order) respond to the presence of enforceable punishment.