Shloka 22
राजधर्मप्रश्नः — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry into Rājadharma (Śānti-parva 56)
अदण्ड्याश्रैव ते पुत्र विप्राश्न ददतां वर । भूतमेतत् परं लोके ब्राह्मणो नाम पाण्डव,दाताओंमें श्रेष्ठ बेटा पाण्डुकुमार युधिष्छिर! तुम्हें ब्राह्मगोंको कभी दण्ड नहीं देना चाहिये; क्योंकि संसारमें ब्राह्मण सर्वश्रेष्ठ प्राणी है
adaṇḍyāś caiva te putra viprāś ca na dadatāṃ vara | bhūtam etat paraṃ loke brāhmaṇo nāma pāṇḍava ||
Bhīṣma said: “O son, best among givers, you must never punish Brahmins. This is the highest principle in the world, O Pāṇḍava: the Brahmin is regarded as the foremost being.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king should exercise restraint and avoid punishing Brahmins; Bhishma frames this as a supreme social-ethical principle, emphasizing reverence for learning and the priestly class within rājadharma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on governance and dharma, Bhishma addresses Yudhiṣṭhira, praising him as ‘best among givers’ and laying down a rule about how a ruler should treat Brahmins.