Shloka 13
त्रिवर्गमूलनिश्चयः — Determining the Roots of Dharma, Artha, and Kāma
Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 123
अतः मैं आपसे यह जानना चाहता हूँ कि दण्डकी उत्पत्ति कैसे हुई? इसके पहले कौन-सी वस्तु जागरूक थी? तथा इस दण्डको सबसे उत्कृष्ट क्यों कहा जाता है? ।।
ataḥ mayā āpase idaṁ jñātum icchāmi—daṇḍakī utpattiḥ kathaṁ jātā? etat pūrvaṁ kā vastu jāgarūkā āsīt? tathā ca kasmād ayaṁ daṇḍaḥ sarvottama iti kathyate? kathaṁ kṣatriya-saṁsthaś ca daṇḍaḥ sampraty avasthitaḥ? brūhi me, sumahāprājña; dadāmi ācārya-vetanam.
“因此我愿向你求知：惩罚之权（daṇḍa）的原则最初如何生起？在它出现之前，最先觉醒并起作用的是什么？又为何此daṇḍa被称颂为最卓越？也请告诉我：这惩罚之力如今如何归于刹帝利（Kṣatriya）之手。噢，大智者，请为我详释这一切；作为教诲的回报，我将奉上师资之礼（guru-dakṣiṇā）。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames daṇḍa (punitive authority) as a foundational instrument of rājadharma: it has an origin, a prior principle that ‘awakens’ before it, and a reason it is called supreme. It also highlights that daṇḍa is institutionally entrusted to the Kṣatriya ruler, implying that justice and coercion must be grounded in wisdom and dharma, not mere force.
Bhīṣma, in the Śānti Parva’s instruction on governance and ethics, poses (or relays) a set of questions seeking a doctrinal account of how daṇḍa originated, what preceded it, why it is praised as best, and how it came to be placed in the hands of Kṣatriyas—offering an ācārya-vetana as a formal gesture of discipleship and respect for teaching.