Shloka 14
त्रिवर्गमूलनिश्चयः — Determining the Roots of Dharma, Artha, and Kāma
Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 123
वसुहरोम उवाच शृणु राजन् यथा दण्ड: सम्भूतो लोकसंग्रह: । प्रजाविनयरक्षार्थ धर्मस्थात्मा सनातन:
Vasuharoma uvāca: śṛṇu rājan yathā daṇḍaḥ sambhūto lokasaṅgrahaḥ | prajāvinayarakṣārthaṃ dharmasthātmā sanātanaḥ ||
婆苏诃罗摩说道：“听着，噢大王，我将说惩罚之权（daṇḍa）——治理与刑罚的原则——如何生起，作为维系世界、使之不散的手段。它是正法（dharma）秩序的永恒根基，为了以教化与护持来约束并保卫人民而设立。”
वसुहरोम उवाच
Educational Q&A
That daṇḍa—rightly grounded in dharma—is an eternal instrument for protecting and disciplining the people, and for maintaining social cohesion (lokasaṅgraha).
Vasuharoma addresses the king and begins an explanation of how daṇḍa (punitive/governing authority) originated and why it functions as the sustaining principle of order in the world.