Brāhmaṇa-mahattva and Atithi-Dharma
Brahmagītā: Praise of Brāhmaṇas and norms of honor
साधुवृत्तो हि यो राजा सद्वृत्तमनुतिष्ठति । किंन प्राप्तं भवेत् तेन स्वव्याजेनेह कर्मणा,जो राजा सदाचारी होकर सबके साथ सदबर्ताव करता है वह अपने निश्छल कर्मसे किस वस्तुको नहीं प्राप्त कर लेता
sādhuvṛtto hi yo rājā sadvṛttam anutiṣṭhati | kiṃ na prāptaṃ bhavet tena svavyājenaiha karmaṇā ||
The hawk said: “A king who is truly of good conduct and who consistently follows righteous behavior—what could he fail to obtain in this world through actions that are straightforward and free from deceit? By sincere, unpretentious conduct, he wins whatever is worth attaining.”
श्येन उवाच
A ruler who steadfastly practices righteous conduct and deals with others honestly gains success and worthy attainments through sincere action; integrity itself becomes a means to prosperity and moral authority.
In this section of the Anuśāsana Parva, the speaker identified as the hawk (śyena) delivers a moral observation: it praises a king who maintains good conduct and suggests that such straightforward, non-deceptive action leads to the fulfillment of aims in worldly life.