Puruṣaikatva-vyākhyāna: The One Virāṭ Puruṣa and the Many ‘Puruṣas’
Rudra–Brahmā Saṃvāda
अवश्यं तपसा तेषां फलितव्यं नृपोत्तम । यतस्त्वं सहसा भ्रष्ट आकाशान्मेदिनीतलम्,“नृपश्रेष्ठ! तुम्हें महात्मा ब्राह्मणोंका सदा ही समादर करना चाहिये। अवश्य ही यह उनकी तपस्याका फल है; जिससे तुम आकाशसे सहसा भ्रष्ट होकर पातालमें चले आये हो
avaśyaṃ tapasā teṣāṃ phalitavyaṃ nṛpottama | yatastvaṃ sahasā bhraṣṭa ākāśān medinītalam ||
Bhīṣma said: “O best of kings, the austerities of those great brāhmaṇas must surely have borne fruit—because you, all at once, have fallen down from the sky to the surface of the earth. Therefore a ruler should always honor such brāhmaṇas, for their spiritual power inevitably yields tangible consequences.”
भीष्म उवाच