Shloka 36
पात्रलक्षण-परिक्षा (Pātra-Lakṣaṇa Parīkṣā) — Criteria for a Worthy Recipient
महारथश्न राजन्य एष्टव्य: शत्रुतापन: । सबको यह इच्छा करनी चाहिये कि राष्ट्रमें ब्रह्मतेजसे सम्पन्न पवित्र ब्राह्मण उत्पन्न हो और शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले महारथी क्षत्रियकी उत्पत्ति हो
mahārathaś ca rājan ya eṣṭavyaḥ śatrutāpanaḥ | sarveṣāṃ eṣā icchā kartavyā yadrāṣṭre brahmatejasā sampannaḥ pavitraḥ brāhmaṇaḥ prajāyeta, śatrūṇāṃ santāpadātā mahārathī kṣatriyaś ca prajāyeta ||
Dijo Bhīṣma: «Oh rey, debe procurarse el surgimiento de un gran guerrero de carro, un kṣatriya capaz de abrasar a los enemigos. En verdad, todos deberían desear esto: que en el reino nazca un brāhmana puro, dotado del resplandor del saber sagrado, y que nazca también un kṣatriya poderoso—diestro en la guerra—que pueda infligir sufrimiento a las fuerzas hostiles».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A well-ordered realm depends on complementary strengths: spiritual purity and authority embodied by a learned, radiant Brāhmaṇa, and protective power embodied by a formidable Kṣatriya capable of restraining and defeating enemies. The verse frames this as a legitimate aspiration for the welfare and security of the polity.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the king on dharma and governance. Here he emphasizes what kinds of people a kingdom should hope to produce—pure, spiritually potent Brahmins and powerful warrior-protectors—so that the realm remains both righteous and secure.