Shloka 47
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
सप्तप्रकृति चाष्टाड़ं शरीरमिह यद् विदु: । राज्यस्य दण्डमेवाडुं दण्ड: प्रभव एव च
saptaprakṛti cāṣṭāṅgaṁ śarīram iha yad viduḥ | rājyasya daṇḍam evāṅgaṁ daṇḍaḥ prabhava eva ca ||
毗湿摩说道：“在此，智者所认定的国之‘身体’，由七种根本要素与八重器用构成。然而在其中，唯有檀陀（daṇḍa）——依法的强制与惩罚之权——才是王权的首要肢体，因为檀陀本身正是使整个体系得以有效成立的源头。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that although the kingdom is conceived as an organic body made of multiple constituents (seven prakṛtis and an eightfold apparatus), the decisive principle is daṇḍa—lawful coercive power—because it enables the functioning, protection, and stability of all other elements.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma is advising Yudhiṣṭhira on the structure of the state and the necessity of enforcement. He frames the polity as a body with many limbs, then emphasizes daṇḍa as the chief instrument by which a king maintains order and makes governance effective.