Shloka 37
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
पुण्याहवाचनं दैवं ब्राह्मणस्य विधीयते । एतदेव निरोड्कार क्षत्रियस्य विधीयते
puṇyāhavācanaṃ daivaṃ brāhmaṇasya vidhīyate | etad eva niroḍkāra kṣatriyasya vidhīyate ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Für einen Brāhmaṇa ist der heilige Ritus in Gestalt glückverheißender Anrufungen und segensreicher Rezitationen vorgeschrieben. Für einen Kṣatriya hingegen wird derselbe Zweck durch ‘niroḍkāra’ erfüllt — eine kraftvolle, kriegerische Art der Weihe, die seiner Pflicht entspricht.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that dharma is role-sensitive: the same sacred aim is pursued through different prescribed means—benedictory ritual speech for Brāhmaṇas and a forceful, martial form of consecration for Kṣatriyas—each aligned with their social-ethical duty.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on conduct and duties. Here he contrasts the appropriate religious/ceremonial observances for different varṇas, emphasizing that prescriptions vary according to one’s station and responsibilities.