Shloka 2
Śakra–Śambara Saṃvāda: Brāhmaṇa-sevā, Anasūyā, and Vāg-bala (शक्रशम्बरसंवादः)
भीष्म उवाच एतदू राज्ञ: कृत्यतममभिषिक्तस्य भारत । ब्राह्मणानामनुष्ठानमत्यन्तं सुखमिच्छता
bhīṣma uvāca etad u rājñaḥ kṛtyatamam abhiṣiktasya bhārata | brāhmaṇānām anuṣṭhānam atyantaṁ sukham icchatā ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „O Bharata, für einen König, der ordnungsgemäß geweiht und eingesetzt ist, ist dies wahrlich die wesentlichste Pflicht: die Verpflichtungen gegenüber den Brahmanen treu zu erfüllen — für den, der höchstes Wohlergehen und dauerndes Glück begehrt.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A consecrated king’s foremost obligation is to uphold and properly attend to the Brahminical order—supporting and honoring those entrusted with learning, ritual, and moral guidance—because this sustains dharma and leads to the ruler’s highest welfare and happiness.
In the Anushasana Parva, Bhishma continues instructing Yudhishthira on righteous governance. Here he emphasizes that, after coronation, the king’s central practical duty is the proper observance of responsibilities toward Brahmins as part of maintaining social and moral order.