Shloka 25
Rājā–Rāja-Śabda-Prabhavaḥ — The Origin and Rationale of Kingship and Daṇḍanīti
ब्रह्मणश्ष प्रणाशेन धर्मो व्यनशदी श्वर । ततः सम समतां याता मर्त्यस्त्रिभुवनेश्वर,“ईश्वर! तीनों लोकोंके स्वामी परमेश्वर! वैदिक ज्ञानका लोप होनेसे यज्ञ-धर्म नष्ट हो गया। इससे हम सब देवता मनुष्योंके समान हो गये हैं
brahmaṇaḥ praṇāśena dharmo vyanaśad īśvara | tataḥ sama-samatāṁ yātā martyais tribhuvaneśvara ||
Bhishma said: “O Lord! When the Brahman (Vedic sacred knowledge) was lost, dharma too perished. Thereafter, O Sovereign of the three worlds, we (the gods) were reduced to the same level as mortals.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links the stability of dharma to the preservation of sacred knowledge (brahman/Veda). When that knowledge is lost, yajña-based dharma collapses, and even divine beings lose their distinctive power and status—implying that ethical-cosmic order depends on right understanding and practice.
Bhishma addresses the supreme Lord as the ruler of the three worlds, explaining a crisis: the disappearance of Vedic knowledge has led to the destruction of dharma, causing the gods (speaking collectively as 'we') to become like ordinary mortals.