Shloka 26
Śakra–Śambara Saṃvāda: Brāhmaṇa-sevā, Anasūyā, and Vāg-bala (शक्रशम्बरसंवादः)
कर्तव्यं पार्थिवेन्द्रेण तथैव भरतर्षभ । भीष्मजीने कहा--भारत! राजसिंहासनपर अभिषिक्त होकर राज्यशासन करनेवाले राजाका सबसे प्रधान कर्तव्य यही है कि वह ब्राह्मणोंकी सेवा-पूजा करे। भरतश्रेष्ठ! अक्षय सुखकी इच्छा रखनेवाले नरेशको ऐसा ही करना चाहिये,न स जातो<जनिष्यद् वा पृथिव्यामिह कश्नन । यो ब्राह्मणविरोधेन सुखं जीवितुमुत्सहेत् इस पृथ्वीपर ऐसा कोई मनुष्य न तो पैदा हुआ है और न आगे पैदा होगा ही जो ब्राह्मणके साथ विरोध करके सुखपूर्वक जीवित रहनेका साहस करे
kartavyaṁ pārthivendreṇa tathaiva bharatarṣabha | na sa jāto janiṣyad vā pṛthivyām iha kaścana | yo brāhmaṇavirodhena sukhaṁ jīvitum utsahet ||
Bhīṣma said: “O bull among the Bharatas, this indeed is the foremost duty of a king who has been consecrated and sits upon the royal throne: to honor, serve, and revere the Brāhmaṇas. A ruler who seeks enduring well-being should act in this way. For on this earth there has never been, nor will there ever be, any person who could dare to live happily while standing in opposition to the Brāhmaṇas.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that a consecrated ruler’s foremost duty is to honor and serve the Brāhmaṇas, and that opposing them is incompatible with lasting happiness and stable rule.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on conduct and kingship, Bhīṣma addresses Yudhiṣṭhira (as “Bharatarṣabha”), laying down a principle of royal policy and ethics: reverence toward Brāhmaṇas is essential, and hostility toward them leads to the loss of well-being.