Shloka 40
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
प्रकाशश्चाप्रकाशश्न दण्डो5थ परिशब्दित: । प्रकाशो5ष्टविधस्तत्र गुहाश्न बहुविस्तर:
prakāśaś cāprakāśaś ca daṇḍo 'tha pariśabditaḥ | prakāśo 'ṣṭavidhās tatra guhyaś ca bahuvistaraḥ ||
毗湿摩说：制裁与强制之道（daṇḍa，杖罚）被说为二类——显露者与隐蔽者。其中显露之道为八种；隐蔽之道则范围极广，机变繁复。此教以伦理为治国之纲：刑罚与武力，须明其可见与不可见之运作，使君王抑止罪恶而不堕于恣意之害，亦不陷于阴私之祸。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Daṇḍa (the ruler’s coercive authority) operates in two modes—open and concealed. Ethical governance requires recognizing both: visible enforcement has defined forms, while hidden measures are broader and therefore demand greater restraint and discernment to remain aligned with dharma.
In Bhishma’s instruction on rajadharma in the Shanti Parva, he classifies the instruments of punishment/force. He states that daṇḍa is of two kinds (open and secret), notes that the open kind is eightfold, and indicates that the secret kind has extensive scope.