Shloka 20
स्त्रीस्वभावप्रश्नः — Nārada and Pañcacūḍā on Strī-svabhāva
Anuśāsana-parva 38
अशव्यं स्प्रष्टमाकाशमचाल्यो हिमवान् गिरि: | अधार्या सेतुना गड्ढा दुर्जया ब्राह्मणा भुवि
bhīṣma uvāca | aśavyaṃ spraṣṭum ākāśam acālyo himavān giriḥ | adhāryā setunā gaḍḍhā durjayā brāhmaṇā bhuvi ||
Bhishma said: It is impossible to touch the sky; the Himālaya cannot be shaken; and a deep ravine cannot be held back by building a dam. In the same way, upon this earth the Brāhmaṇas are altogether unconquerable—one should not seek to overpower them, but to honor and uphold them in accordance with dharma.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that Brāhmaṇas, as bearers of sacred learning and moral authority, should not be treated as opponents to be subdued; attempting to 'conquer' them is portrayed as futile and adharma, like trying to touch the sky or shake the Himālaya.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma delivers moral counsel using a chain of impossibility-similes (sky, Himālaya, ravine restrained by a dam) to emphasize the social-ethical point that Brāhmaṇas are not to be overpowered and must be respected.