Shloka 79
ब्राह्मणस्तु कुलं हन्याद् ध्यानेनावेक्षितेन च । तस्मादेतत् त्रयं यत्नादुपसेवेत पण्डित:,क्रोधमें भरा हुआ साँप जहाँतक आँखोंसे देख पाता है, वहाँतक धावा करके काटता है। क्षत्रिय भी कुपित होनेपर अपनी शक्तिभर शत्रुको भस्म करनेकी चेष्टा करता है; परंतु ब्राह्मण जब कुपित होता है, तब वह अपनी दृष्टि और संकल्पसे अपमान करनेवाले पुरुषके सम्पूर्ण कुलको दग्ध कर डालता है; इसलिये समझदार मनुष्यको यत्नपूर्वक इन तीनोंकी सेवा करनी चाहिये
brāhmaṇas tu kulaṃ hanyād dhyānenāvekṣitena ca | tasmād etat trayaṃ yatnād upaseveta paṇḍitaḥ ||
Bhishma said: A brāhmaṇa can destroy an entire lineage merely by concentrated thought and a fixed, intent gaze. Therefore, a wise person should diligently cultivate proper regard and careful conduct toward these three.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that different forms of power—physical (like a serpent’s strike), martial (the kṣatriya’s force), and spiritual (the brāhmaṇa’s tapas expressed through resolve and gaze)—can be dangerous when provoked; therefore one should act wisely, with restraint and respectful prudence toward such potent agents.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma, he emphasizes the extraordinary efficacy attributed to a brāhmaṇa’s spiritual force: when angered, a brāhmaṇa can bring ruin upon an offender’s lineage through mental resolve and intent gaze, hence the counsel to be careful in one’s conduct toward such powerful figures (alongside other dangerous forces).