Shloka 39
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
प्राणाश्न सर्वभूतानां नित्यमन्ने प्रतिष्ठिता: । तस्मात् प्रजा: प्रतिष्ठन्ते दण्डो जागर्ति तासु च
bhīṣma uvāca | prāṇāśn sarvabhūtānāṃ nityam anne pratiṣṭhitāḥ | tasmāt prajāḥ pratiṣṭhante daṇḍo jāgarti tāsu ca |
毗湿摩说：一切众生的生命之息，恒常依止于食。故人民得以安立而受持；而治国之杖（daṇḍa）——依法惩戒与护持之力——常自警醒，昼夜守望于众。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
All beings depend on food for life, so society’s stability depends on securing sustenance; and this requires daṇḍa—lawful authority that protects, restrains wrongdoing, and maintains order—remaining vigilant.
In Shanti Parva’s discourse on rājadharma, Bhishma instructs the king (Yudhishthira) by linking material welfare (food sustaining life) with political-ethical necessity (daṇḍa as constant guardianship that keeps the people established).