Shloka 26
राजधर्मप्रश्नः — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry into Rājadharma (Śānti-parva 56)
एवं कृत्वा महाराज नमस्या एव ते द्विजा: । भीम ब्रह्म द्विजश्रेष्ठा धारयन्ति समर्चिता:,महाराज! ऐसा सोचकर तुम्हें ब्राह्मणोंको सदा नमस्कार ही करना चाहिये; क्योंकि वे श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मण पूजित होनेपर भूतलके ब्रह्मको अर्थात् वेदको धारण करते हैं
evaṁ kṛtvā mahārāja namasyā eva te dvijāḥ | bhūmi-brahma dvijaśreṣṭhā dhārayanti samarcitāḥ ||
Bhishma said: “Therefore, O great king, you should indeed always offer reverent salutations to the twice-born (brahmins). For those foremost among brahmins, when duly honored, uphold the ‘Brahman of the earth’—that is, the Veda—thereby sustaining the moral and spiritual order.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king should consistently honor and salute brahmins, because when respected they preserve and transmit the Veda—seen here as the sustaining spiritual authority within society—thereby supporting dharma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma after the war, Bhīṣma addresses the king and urges a policy of reverence toward brahmins, grounding it in their role as bearers of Vedic knowledge and moral order.