Shloka 24
Adhyāya 9: Pratiśruta-Dāna
The Duty to Fulfill Promised Gifts
एतद्धि परम॑ तेजो ब्राह्मणस्येह दृश्यते । सहस्रकिरणस्येव सवितुर्धरणीतले,इस पृथ्वीपर ब्राह्मणका उत्कृष्ट तेज सहस्र किरणोंवाले सूर्यदेवके समान दृष्टिगोचर होता है
etaddhi paramaṁ tejo brāhmaṇasyeha dṛśyate | sahasrakiraṇasyeva savitur dharaṇītale ||
Bhīṣma said: “Here in this world, the supreme radiance of a brāhmaṇa is clearly seen—like the Sun upon the earth, blazing with a thousand rays.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that a brāhmaṇa’s highest ‘tejas’ is a visible, society-illuminating force—grounded in learning, discipline, and moral-spiritual excellence—comparable to the sun’s radiance on earth.
Bhīṣma, in his instruction during the Anuśāsana Parva, praises the distinctive excellence of the brāhmaṇa, using the sun-with-a-thousand-rays simile to emphasize the evident and elevating nature of brahminical spiritual radiance.