Shloka 28

Purohita-Niyoga and the Brahma–Kṣatra Concord

Aila–Kaśyapa Saṃvāda

Devanagari script

मिथोभेदाद्‌ ब्राह्मणक्षत्रियाणां प्रजा दुःखं दुःसहं चाविशन्ति । एवं ज्ञात्वा कार्य एवेह नित्यं पुरोहितो नैकविद्यो नृपेण,ब्राह्मण और क्षत्रियोंमें परस्पर फूट होनेसे प्रजाको दुःसह दुःख उठाना पड़ता है। इन सब बातोंको समझ-बूझकर राजाको चाहिये कि वह सदाके लिये एक सदाचारी बहुज्ञ पुरोहित बना ही ले

Transliteration

mithobhedād brāhmaṇakṣatriyāṇāṁ prajā duḥkhaṁ duḥsahaṁ cāviśanti | evaṁ jñātvā kārya eveha nityaṁ purohito naikavidyo nṛpeṇa ||

Translation

Kāśyapa said: “When Brahmins and Kṣatriyas fall into mutual division, the people are overwhelmed by suffering—suffering that becomes hard to endure. Knowing this, a king should always ensure, as a standing duty, that he appoints a learned and well-qualified priest (purohita), skilled in many branches of knowledge, to guide and steady the realm.”

Word by Word

• {'mithas': 'mutually, with one another', 'bheda': 'division, split, discord', 'mithobhedāt': 'because of mutual discord', 'brāhmaṇa': 'Brahmin

• priestly/teaching class', 'kṣatriya': 'Kshatriya

• ruling/warrior class', 'brāhmaṇakṣatriyāṇām': 'of Brahmins and Kshatriyas', 'prajā': 'the people, subjects', 'duḥkha': 'sorrow, suffering', 'duḥsaha': 'hard to bear, unbearable', 'āviśanti': 'enter into, overwhelm, pervade', 'evaṁ': 'thus, in this manner', 'jñātvā': 'having known/understood', 'kārya': 'what must be done

• necessary act', 'eva': 'indeed, certainly', 'iha': 'here (in this world/kingdom)', 'nityam': 'always, continually', 'purohita': 'royal chaplain/priest

• counsellor in dharma and rites', 'naikavidyaḥ': 'skilled in many knowledges/disciplines', 'nṛpeṇa': 'by the king'}

Speaker

कश्यप उवाच

Characters & Entities

• कश्यप (Kāśyapa)
• ब्राह्मण (Brāhmaṇa)
• क्षत्रिय (Kṣatriya)
• प्रजा (subjects/people)
• नृप (king)
• पुरोहित (purohita)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Social order and public welfare depend on harmony between the guiding religious-intellectual authority (Brāhmaṇa) and the ruling power (Kṣatriya). Their discord directly harms the people; therefore a king must secure steady dharmic guidance by appointing a virtuous, broadly learned purohita.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instruction on governance, Kāśyapa warns about the political and ethical consequences of conflict between Brahmins and Kshatriyas and advises the king to maintain a competent, multi-skilled royal priest-counsellor to prevent such breakdown and protect the subjects.