Shloka 14
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
दण्डे त्रिवर्ग: सततं सुप्रणीते प्रवर्तते दैवं हि परमो दण्डो रूपतो5ग्निरिवोत्थित:
daṇḍe trivargaḥ satataṃ supraṇīte pravartate | daivaṃ hi paramo daṇḍo rūpato 'gnir ivotthitaḥ ||
毗湿摩说：当“檀陀”（Daṇḍa，刑罚与治政之权）恒常而得其正地施行时，人生三义——达摩（dharma）、阿尔塔（artha）与迦摩（kāma）——便依其应有的次第运行，并稳固地得以成就。因此，檀陀被称为至上的、由神圣所认可的力量，以如火般炽烈的形相显现——护持守序之人，焚灭作恶之行。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Properly administered daṇḍa (punitive and regulatory authority) is essential for sustaining the trivarga—dharma, artha, and kāma. Bhīṣma frames just punishment as a divinely grounded force that maintains moral and social order, likened to fire for its power to protect and to destroy wrongdoing.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on statecraft and ethics, Bhīṣma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira about the necessity of disciplined governance. Here he emphasizes that when royal authority is exercised correctly and consistently, society’s moral, economic, and personal aims can flourish; hence daṇḍa is praised as supreme and fiery in potency.