Shloka 29
Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)
मनुष्य धरतीको खोदकर तथा ओषधियों, वृक्षों, लताओं, पक्षियों और पशुओंका उच्छेद करके यज्ञका अनुष्ठान करते हैं, और वे स्वर्गमें भी चले जाते हैं ।।
manuṣyā dharatīṃ khoditvā tathā oṣadhīḥ vṛkṣān latāḥ pakṣiṇaḥ paśūṃś ca ucchedya yajñasya anuṣṭhānaṃ kurvanti, te ca svarge 'pi gacchanti. daṇḍanītyāṃ praṇītāyāṃ sarve siddhyanty upakramāḥ; kaunteya sarvabhūtānāṃ tatra me nāsti saṃśayaḥ.
阿周那说：“人们掘地而起，又砍伐药草、树木、藤蔓，捕取飞鸟走兽，仍旧举行祭祀——甚至还能升至天界。同样地，昆蒂之子啊，当惩治与治国之学——檀陀尼提（daṇḍanīti）——得以正当建立并施行时，一切众生的一切事业皆能成就；对此我毫无疑虑。”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a pragmatic ethical claim: even actions that involve harm to living beings and the environment can be socially sanctioned when framed as yajña, and similarly, when daṇḍanīti (law, discipline, and punishment under righteous governance) is correctly applied, it enables order and the successful completion of undertakings for all beings.
In the Shānti Parva’s discourse on dharma and governance, Arjuna addresses Kaunteya (Yudhiṣṭhira), arguing in favor of the necessity and efficacy of daṇḍanīti—asserting that properly instituted governance makes collective life workable and leads to success in worldly enterprises.