“Arjuna said, ’The man armed with the rod of chastisement governs all subjects and protects them.  The rod of chastisement is awake when all else is sleep.  For this, the wise have characterised the rod of chastisement to be Righteousness itself.  The rod of chastisement protects Righteousness and Profit.  It protects also, O king!  For this, the rod of chastisement is identified with the triple objects of life.  Corn and wealth are both protected by the rod of chastisement.  Knowing this, O thou that art possessed of learning, take up the rod of chastisement and observe the course of the world.  One class of sinful men desist from sin through fear of the rod of chastisement in the king’s bands.  Another class desist from similar acts through fear of Yama’s rod, and yet another from fear of the next world.  Another class of persons desist from sinful acts through fear of society.  Thus, O king, in this world, whose course is such, everything is, dependent on the rod of chastisement.  There is a class of persons who are restrained by only the rod of chastisement from devouring one another.  If the rod of chastisement did not protect people, they would have sunk in the darkness of hell.  The rod of chastisement (danda) has been so named by the wise because it restrains the ungovernable and punishes the wicked, The chastisement of Brahmanas should be by word of mouth; of Kshatriyas, by giving them only that much of food as would suffice for the support of life; of Vaisyas, by the imposition of fines and forfeitures of property, while for Sudras there is no punishment.[34] For keeping men awake (to their duties) and for the protection of property, ordinances, O king, have been established in the world, under the name of chastisement (or punitive legislation).  Thither where chastisement, of dark complexion and red eyes, stands in an attitude of readiness (to grapple with every offender) and the king is of righteous vision, the subjects never forget themselves.  The Brahmacharin and the house-holder, the recluse in the forest and the religious mendicant, all these walk in their respective ways through fear of chastisement alone.  He that is without any fear, O king, never performs a sacrifice.  He that is without fear never giveth away.  The man that is without any fear never desires to adhere to any engagement or compact.  Without piercing the vitals of others, without achieving the most difficult feats and without staying creatures like a fisherman (slaying fish), no person can obtain great prosperity.[35] Without slaughter, no man has been able to achieve fame in this world or acquire wealth or subjects.  Indra himself, by the slaughter of Vritra, became the great Indra.  Those amongst the gods that are given to slaughtering others are adored much more by men.  Rudra, Skanda, Sakra, Agni, Varuna, are all slaughterers.  Kala and Mrityu and Vayu and Kuvera and Surya, the Vasus, the Maruts, the Sadhyas, and the Viswadevas, O Bharata, are all slaughterers.  Humbled by their prowess,