Shloka 59
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
ये त्वां ब्राह्मण नेच्छन्ति ते न वत्स्यन्ति मे गृहे भवतैव हि तज्ज्ञेयं यत्तदेषामनन्तरम्
ye tvāṃ brāhmaṇa necchanti te na vatsyanti me gṛhe | bhavataiva hi taj jñeyaṃ yat tad eṣām anantaram ||
Bhishma sprach: „O Brahmane, jene, die nicht wünschen, dass du in meinem Haus bleibst, werden selbst nicht in ihm bleiben können. Du, der die Sache versteht, sollst erkennen, was ihnen als Nächstes widerfährt; und du sollst selbst erwägen, welche Pflicht jetzt erforderlich ist, um diese Gegner zu bezwingen.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses dharmic consequence: rejecting a worthy guest or righteous presence rebounds upon the rejecters themselves. It also places responsibility on the wise to judge the proper next action—restraint and corrective duty—rather than acting blindly.
Bhīṣma addresses a Brāhmaṇa and declares that those who oppose the Brāhmaṇa’s staying in his house will lose their own place there. He then urges the Brāhmaṇa, as one who understands the situation, to determine what consequence is imminent and what necessary duty should be undertaken to curb the opponents.