Shloka 116
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
वैद्यानां बालवृद्धानां भृत्यानां च युधिष्ठिर । बन्धूनां ब्राह्मणानां च तथा शारणिकस्य च
vaidyānāṁ bālavṛddhānāṁ bhṛtyānāṁ ca yudhiṣṭhira | bandhūnāṁ brāhmaṇānāṁ ca tathā śāraṇikasya ca ||
Bhīṣma said: “O Yudhiṣṭhira, one should extend due care and support to physicians, to children and the aged, to dependents and servants, to one’s kinsmen, and to Brāhmaṇas—and likewise to those who seek shelter and protection.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes a ruler’s and householder’s dharma of sustaining and protecting key vulnerable or socially crucial groups—healers, children, the aged, dependents, relatives, Brāhmaṇas, and those who have sought refuge—treating their welfare as a moral obligation.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous conduct and governance. Here he lists categories of people toward whom special responsibility and protective care must be shown, reinforcing the ethical framework of kingship and social duty.