Shloka 9
Nakṣatra-yoga-anusāreṇa Dāna-vidhiḥ
Gifts prescribed according to lunar mansions and yogas
पूज्या हि ज्ञानविज्ञानतपोयोगसमन्विता: । तेभ्य पूजां प्रयुज्जीथा ब्राह्मुणेभ्य: परंतप
pūjyā hi jñāna-vijñāna-tapo-yoga-samanvitāḥ | tebhyaḥ pūjāṃ prayuñjīthā brāhmaṇebhyaḥ parantapa ||
Bhīṣma said: “Brāhmaṇas endowed with sacred learning and realized understanding, with austerity and disciplined yoga, are truly worthy of honor. Therefore, O scorcher of foes, you should offer them reverent worship and due respect.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that true reverence is due to Brāhmaṇas who unite learning (jñāna) with realized discernment (vijñāna), and whose lives are disciplined by austerity (tapas) and spiritual practice (yoga). Honor is not merely for birth or status, but for cultivated virtue and inner attainment.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the king on dharma and right conduct. Here he specifically advises the addressee—addressed as ‘Parantapa’—to offer worshipful respect and service to spiritually accomplished Brāhmaṇas, framing it as a kingly and ethical obligation.