Shloka 22
Adhyāya 9: Pratiśruta-Dāna
The Duty to Fulfill Promised Gifts
स एव हि यदा तुष्टो वचसा प्रतिनन्दति । भवत्यगदसंकाशो विषये तस्य भारत,भारत! वही ब्राह्मण जब आशापूर्तिसे संतुष्ट होकर वाणीद्वारा राजाका अभिनन्दन करता है--उसे आशीर्वाद देता है, तब उसके राज्यके लिये वह चिकित्सकके तुल्य हो जाता है
sa eva hi yadā tuṣṭo vacasā pratinandati | bhavaty agada-saṅkāśo viṣaye tasya bhārata ||
Bhīṣma said: “When that very brāhmaṇa, satisfied by the fulfillment of hopes and due honors, responds with words of approval—offering blessings to the king—he becomes, for that king’s realm, like a physician: a healing presence whose goodwill and benediction protect and restore the country’s well-being.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s welfare is strengthened when he properly honors worthy Brahmins and receives their sincere, pleased approval and blessing; such goodwill functions like medicine for the kingdom—preventing and curing social and moral disorders.
Bhishma, instructing Yudhiṣṭhira, describes the moment when a Brahmin—content with the king’s fulfillment of expectations and proper respect—responds with approving words and blessings; Bhishma likens that Brahmin’s satisfied benediction to a physician’s healing influence upon the king’s realm.