Shloka 26
Brāhmaṇa-vandana: Criteria for Veneration, Disciplined Speech, and Protective Kingship (अनुशासनपर्व, अध्याय ८)
व्यवसायस्तयो: शीघ्रमुभयोरेव विद्यते । हन्युः क्रुद्धा महाराज ब्राह्मणा ये तपस्विन:
vyavasāyas tayoḥ śīghram ubhayor eva vidyate | hanyuḥ kruddhā mahārāja brāhmaṇā ye tapasvinaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dijo: «Oh gran rey, en ambos casos el fruto del empeño se manifiesta con rapidez. Pero sabe esto: cuando los brāhmaṇas ascetas se encolerizan, pueden, por el poder de sus austeridades, abatir incluso a un poderoso kṣatriya. Así, el fruto veloz del tapas y el fruto veloz del valor regio se asemejan; mas la fuerza espiritual de la ascesis disciplinada, si es provocada, puede dominar el brillo marcial.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Both martial prowess and ascetic austerity yield swift results, but tapas—when embodied by disciplined Brāhmaṇas—can surpass physical power; therefore rulers should honor spiritual authority and avoid provoking the righteous.
Bhīṣma instructs the king on the relative potency of Kṣatriya energy and Brāhmaṇa austerity, warning that enraged ascetics can destroy even powerful warriors through the force generated by their tapas.