Shloka 104
Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
यस्यां भवन्ति भूतानि तद् विद्धि मनुजर्षभ । एष एव परो धर्मो यद् राजा दण्डनीतिमान्
yasyāṁ bhavanti bhūtāni tad viddhi manujarṣabha | eṣa eva paro dharmo yad rājā daṇḍanītimān ||
毗湿摩说道：“当知此事，哦人中最胜：一切众生所赖以存立者，乃是‘檀陀’——合法的刑罚与治理之权。故而，国王之最高法（dharma），在于具足檀陀尼提，并依之而行。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that social and moral order depends on daṇḍa—legitimate coercive authority exercised through daṇḍanīti. For a king, the supreme dharma is to uphold justice and stability by applying punishment and governance wisely and according to proper policy.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on kingship, Bhishma addresses the listener as “best of men” and explains a foundational principle of rajadharma: all beings are sustained by the ruler’s disciplined administration of law and punishment; thus the king must be daṇḍanītimān and act accordingly.