Shloka 26
पात्रलक्षण-परिक्षा (Pātra-Lakṣaṇa Parīkṣā) — Criteria for a Worthy Recipient
ततो राष्ट्रस्य शान्तिर्हि भूतानामिव वासवात् । राजाओंको चाहिये कि वे उत्तम भोग, आभूषण तथा पूछकर प्रस्तुत किये गये दूसरे मनोवांछित पदार्थ देकर नमस्कार आदिके द्वारा सदा ब्राह्मणोंकी पूजा करें और पिताके समान उनके पालन-पोषणका ध्यान रखें। तभी इन ब्राह्मणोंसे राष्ट्रमें शान्ति रह सकती है। ठीक उसी तरह, जैसे इन्द्रसे वृष्टि प्राप्त होनेपर समस्त प्राणियोंको सुख-शान्ति मिलती है,यथा महार्णवे क्षिप्त आमलोष्टो विनश्यति । तथा दुश्चरितं सर्व पराभावाय कल्पते जैसे महासागरमें फेंका हुआ कच्ची मिट्टीका ढेला तुरंत गल जाता है, उसी प्रकार ब्राह्मणोंका संग प्राप्त होते ही सारा दुष्कर्म नष्ट हो जाता है
tato rāṣṭrasya śāntir hi bhūtānām iva vāsavāt | rājñāṃ ca kāryaṃ yatnena brāhmaṇānāṃ sadārcanam || yathā mahārṇave kṣipta āmaloṣṭo vinaśyati | tathā duścaritaṃ sarvaṃ parābhāvāya kalpate ||
Bhīṣma said: “From this arises peace in the kingdom—just as all creatures find welfare through Vāsava (Indra) when he grants rain. Therefore kings should continually honor Brāhmaṇas with reverence: offering excellent enjoyments, ornaments, and other desired gifts that are respectfully requested and duly presented, and caring for their maintenance as one would for a father. Only through such Brāhmaṇas can peace endure in the realm. Just as a lump of raw clay thrown into the great ocean quickly dissolves, so too, upon gaining the company of Brāhmaṇas, all misconduct is brought to ruin and leads to its own downfall.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king secures peace and stability in the realm by consistently honoring and supporting Brāhmaṇas with reverence and appropriate gifts; association with the virtuous hastens the destruction of wrongdoing, which naturally leads to its own downfall.
Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on royal duty (rājadharma), using two similes—Indra’s rain bringing welfare to beings, and raw clay dissolving in the ocean—to emphasize that honoring Brāhmaṇas sustains public peace and erodes sinful conduct.