Shloka 5
Chapter 78: Royal Responsibility for Wealth, Social Order, and the Protection of Dvijas
Kekaya Exemplum
अभिशस्तमिवात्मानं मन्यन्ते येन कर्मणा । तस्माद् राजर्षय: सर्वे ब्राह्मणानन्वपालयन्,ब्राह्मणमें उक्त दोष आ जाय तो उससे राजा अपने आपको कलडूकित मानते हैं; इसीलिये सभी राजर्षियोंने ब्राह्मणोंकी सदा ही रक्षा की है
abhiśastam ivātmānaṃ manyante yena karmaṇā | tasmād rājarṣayaḥ sarve brāhmaṇān anvapālayan |
Bhīṣma said: By whatever deed a king incurs blame connected with a brāhmaṇa, he comes to regard himself as though publicly condemned. Therefore all royal sages, mindful of dharma and their own moral standing, have consistently protected and cared for the brāhmaṇas.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s moral legitimacy is tied to how he treats brāhmaṇas and the learned; wrongdoing that brings blame in relation to them makes the king feel ‘condemned,’ so wise kings protect and support them as a matter of rajadharma.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on kingship in the Śānti Parva, he explains why earlier royal sages consistently safeguarded brāhmaṇas: any censurable act involving them stains the king’s conscience and reputation, so protection of brāhmaṇas is presented as a practical and ethical duty of rule.