Shloka 20
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 126 — Kṛṣṇa’s Indictment of Misrule and the Varuṇa Analogy (कृष्णवाक्यं–धर्मपाशदृष्टान्तः)
इति मातड्भवचन परीप्सन्ति हितेप्सव: । धर्माय चैव प्रणमेद् ब्राह्मुणेभ्यश्व मद्विध:
iti mātaṅga-bhavacanaṃ parīpsanti hitepsavaḥ | dharmāya caiva praṇamed brāhmaṇebhyaś ca mad-vidhaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „So nehmen jene, die ihr eigenes Wohl suchen, den zuvor genannten Rat des Weisen Mātaṅga an und folgen ihm. Darum verneigt sich ein Mann wie ich nur vor dem Dharma und vor den Brāhmaṇas — niemals vor Feinden.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should align one’s conduct with Dharma and honor those worthy of reverence (especially Brāhmaṇas); pragmatic self-interest should not lead to paying homage to adversaries in a way that compromises righteous principle.
Vaiśampāyana, narrating the events, cites the earlier counsel attributed to the sage Mātaṅga and concludes that those who truly seek their welfare accept that counsel; accordingly, he states a norm of conduct: offering obeisance to Dharma and Brāhmaṇas, not to enemies.