Shloka 18
Śakra–Śambara Saṃvāda: Brāhmaṇa-sevā, Anasūyā, and Vāg-bala (शक्रशम्बरसंवादः)
परिवादं च ये कुर्युब्रह्मिणानामचेतस: । सत्यं ब्रवीमि ते राजन् विनश्येयुर्न संशय:
parivādaṃ ca ye kuryur brāhmaṇīnām acetasaḥ | satyaṃ bravīmi te rājan vinaśyeyur na saṃśayaḥ ||
قال بهيشما: أيها الملك، إني أقول لك الحقّ—إن أولئك الحمقى الذين يطلقون ألسنتهم بسوءٍ في البراهمة ويقعون فيهم بالبهتان يهلكون؛ ولا شك في ذلك.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches restraint and responsibility in speech: slandering Brahmins (and, by extension, venerable custodians of dharma and learning) is a grave ethical fault that leads to the speaker’s downfall.
In the Anushasana Parva, Bhishma is instructing the king on dharma and proper conduct. Here he warns that those who indulge in defamatory speech against Brahmins inevitably meet ruin, emphasizing the moral and social order the king is to uphold.