Shloka 11
Brāhmaṇa-bheda-nirṇaya and Rājā’s Regulatory Duties (ब्राह्मणभेदनिर्णयः)
विकर्मस्थाश्ष नोपेक्ष्या विप्रा राज्ञा कथंचन । नियम्या: संविभज्याश्न धर्मानुग्रहकारणात्
vikarmasthāś ca nopekṣyā viprā rājñā kathaṃcana | niyamyāḥ saṃvibhajyaś ca dharmānugrahakāraṇāt ||
Bhishma said: “Brahmins who have fallen into wrongful conduct should never be ignored by a king under any circumstance. For the sake of supporting dharma, the king should restrain and discipline them, and also separate them from the rank of exemplary Brahmins—so that righteousness is protected and social trust in sacred duty is not harmed.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king must not excuse or ignore wrongdoing simply because the offender is a Brahmin; to protect dharma, he should restrain, correct, and formally distinguish the errant from truly exemplary Brahmins.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous governance, Bhishma advises the king on how to respond when Brahmins deviate into prohibited conduct: not with neglect, but with corrective restraint and clear social classification to uphold dharma.