Shloka 28
Brāhmaṇa-vandana: Criteria for Veneration, Disciplined Speech, and Protective Kingship (अनुशासनपर्व, अध्याय ८)
दण्डपाणियर्यथा गोषु पालो नित्यं हि रक्षयेत् । ब्राह्मणान् ब्रह्म च तथा क्षत्रिय: परिपालयेत्
daṇḍapāṇir yathā goṣu pālo nityaṁ hi rakṣayet | brāhmaṇān brahma ca tathā kṣatriyaḥ paripālayet ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Wie ein Hirte, den Stab in der Hand, das Vieh beständig bewacht, so ist es auch die rechte Pflicht des Kṣatriya, die Brāhmaṇas und das Brahman—das heißt die vedische heilige Ordnung—fortwährend zu schützen.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that a Kṣatriya’s dharma is protective: like a vigilant herdsman guarding cattle with a staff, the ruler/warrior must actively and continuously safeguard Brāhmaṇas and the Vedic sacred order (brahma), ensuring the stability of dharma in society.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on conduct and duties, he uses a practical analogy from pastoral life to define royal responsibility: protection is not occasional but constant, and it extends beyond physical security to preserving the institutions of sacred learning and ritual authority.