Shloka 22
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
असंगो रुद्रतनयो मनुर्ज्येष्ठ: शिवंकर: । नामान्येतानि दण्डस्य कीर्तितानि युधिछिर
asaṅgo rudratanayo manur jyeṣṭhaḥ śivaṃkaraḥ | nāmāny etāni daṇḍasya kīrtitāni yudhiṣṭhira ||
毗湿摩说道：“无著（Asaṅga）、鲁陀罗之子、长者摩奴（Manu）、以及吉祥作者（Śivaṃkara）——这些便是称颂惩罚之权（Daṇḍa）的名号，哦，郁提施提罗。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Daṇḍa—royal authority expressed as discipline and punishment—is not merely coercion; it is a dharmic principle with revered, tradition-sanctioned names. By invoking epithets like ‘Asaṅga’ (unattached) and ‘Śivaṃkara’ (welfare-making), the verse implies that punishment must be impartial and aimed at public good, not personal passion.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue on rājadharma, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira about the nature of governance. Here he lists traditional appellations of Daṇḍa, framing the king’s punitive power as a sacred, ethically constrained instrument of order.