Shloka 17
Brāhmaṇa-vandana: Criteria for Veneration, Disciplined Speech, and Protective Kingship (अनुशासनपर्व, अध्याय ८)
कर्मणा मनसा वापि वाचा वापि परंतप । यन्मे कृतं ब्राह्मुणेभ्यस्तेनाद्य न तपाम्यहम्
karmaṇā manasā vāpi vācā vāpi parantapa | yan me kṛtaṃ brāhmaṇebhyas tenādya na tapāmy aham ||
Bhishma said: “O scorcher of foes, whether by deed, by mind, or by speech—whatever service I have rendered to the Brahmanas, it is by the power of that merit that even now, though I have fallen into this condition, I do not burn with anguish.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Merit gained by respectful service—through action, thought, and speech—especially toward Brahmanas and the learned, becomes an inner support in times of suffering; ethical conduct across all three channels (body, mind, speech) steadies the mind.
Bhishma, lying in a grievous condition after the war, instructs the king (Yudhishthira). He explains that he does not feel overwhelming anguish now because of the beneficial acts he previously performed for Brahmanas.