Shloka 10
Purohita-Niyoga and the Brahma–Kṣatra Concord
Aila–Kaśyapa Saṃvāda
नैषामर्थों वर्धते जातु गेहे नाधीयते सुप्रजा नो यजन्ते । अपध्वस्ता दस्युभूता भवन्ति ये ब्राह्मणान् क्षत्रिया: संत्यजन्ति,जो क्षत्रिय ब्राह्मणोंको त्याग देते हैं, उनके घरमें कभी धनकी वृद्धि नहीं होती। उनकी संतानें न तो पढ़ती हैं और न यज्ञ ही करती हैं। वे पदभ्रष्ट होकर डाकुओंकी भाँति लूटपाट करने लगते हैं
naiṣām artho vardhate jātu gehe nādhīyate suprajā no yajante | apadhvastā dasyubhūtā bhavanti ye brāhmaṇān kṣatriyāḥ saṃtyajanti ||
Kāśyapa said: For those Kṣatriyas who abandon the Brāhmaṇas, prosperity never truly increases in their households. Their children neither pursue sacred learning nor perform sacrifices. Fallen from their proper station, they become like bandits—living by plunder rather than by righteous rule.
कश्यप उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s prosperity and legitimacy depend on honoring and supporting Brāhmaṇas—symbolizing sacred learning, counsel, and ritual order. When Kṣatriyas reject that guidance, their households lose wealth, their descendants abandon study and sacrifice, and the rulers degenerate into lawless plunderers.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and kingship, the sage Kāśyapa warns about the social and moral collapse that follows when Kṣatriya rulers sever ties with Brāhmaṇas. The verse frames this as a causal chain: abandonment of spiritual-intellectual authority leads to loss of prosperity, breakdown of education and ritual, and finally criminalization of the ruling class.