Shloka 33
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
अल्वापहि तपो जातु ब्राह्मणस्योपजायते । तद् दाव इव निर्दह्यात् प्राप्तो राजप्रतिग्रह:,ब्राह्मण दिनभरमें जितना तप संग्रह करता है, उसको राजाका दिया हुआ दान वनको दग्ध करनेवाले दावानलकी भाँति नष्ट कर डालता है
alvāpi tapo jātu brāhmaṇasyopajāyate | tad dāva iva nirdahyāt prāpto rāja-pratigrahaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: Even the little austerity a brāhmaṇa may gather is burned away like a forest-fire when he accepts gifts from a king.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A brāhmaṇa’s spiritual merit gained through tapas is fragile; accepting royal gifts (rāja-pratigraha) can create dependence and compromise, thereby consuming that merit like a wildfire. The verse warns to protect purity of livelihood and independence.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and proper conduct. Here he cautions about the moral and spiritual danger for brāhmaṇas in receiving gifts from kings, using the image of a forest fire burning up accumulated austerity.