Shloka 51
त्रिवर्गमूलनिश्चयः — Determining the Roots of Dharma, Artha, and Kāma
Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 123
प्रजा जागर्ति लोके5स्मिन् दण्डो जागर्ति तासु च । सर्व संक्षिपते दण्ड: पितामहसमप्रभ:,इस लोकमें प्रजा जागती है और प्रजाओंमें दण्ड जागता है। वह ब्रह्माजीके समान तेजस्वी दण्ड सबको मर्यादाके भीतर रखता है
prajā jāgarti loke 'smin daṇḍo jāgarti tāsu ca | sarvaṁ saṁkṣipate daṇḍaḥ pitāmaha-samaprabhaḥ ||
在此世间，众民常怀警醒；而在众民之中，惩治之杖——达ṇḍa——亦常怀警醒。此达ṇḍa光辉炽盛，如同“祖父”梵天（Brahmā），使一切众生不逾其度，维系秩序与道德之律。
वसुहरोम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that society is held together by vigilant, dharma-aligned authority (daṇḍa). Proper punishment and restraint are not mere force; they function as a moral boundary that keeps everyone within rightful limits and prevents disorder.
In the Shānti Parva’s discourse on rājadharma, Vasuharoma explains the necessity of daṇḍa: while people are alert in worldly life, the king’s disciplinary power must be even more alert, curbing all and maintaining the realm’s order, likened in splendour to Brahmā.