Shloka 23
Vyavahāra-Śuddhi and Rājadharma: Clean Administration, Counsel, and Proportional Punishment
Chapter 86
सम्यक् प्रणयतो दण्डं भूमिपस्य विशाम्पते । युक्तस्य वा नास्त्यधर्मो धर्म एव हि शाश्वत:
samyak praṇayato daṇḍaṃ bhūmipasya viśāmpate | yuktasya vā nāsty adharmo dharma eva hi śāśvataḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：“人民之主啊！君王若能以正当之法、以适度之量施行刑罚，其中便无不义。因为刑罚一旦调御得当、与公正相契，它本身便成为恒常之法（dharma）。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Punishment (daṇḍa) is not inherently adharma; when a ruler administers it correctly—measured, justified, and aligned with dharma—it functions as dharma itself, sustaining social order and justice.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma is advising the king on governance, emphasizing that the rightful, well-regulated use of royal punishment is ethically legitimate and necessary for maintaining dharma.