Shloka 196
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
सर्वास्तान् धार्मिको राजा शूद्रकर्माणि कारयेत् | जो द्विज न तो प्रातःकालकी संध्या करते हैं और न सायंकालकी ही, उन सबसे धार्मिक राजा शूद्रोचित कर्म करावे
sarvāṁs tān dhārmiko rājā śūdrakarmāṇi kārayet | ye dvijā na prātaḥkālasandhyāṁ kurvanti na sāyaṁkālasandhyām api, tān sarvān dhārmiko rājā śūdrocityaṁ karma kārayet ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Un roi juste doit contraindre tous ceux-là à accomplir les devoirs propres au śūdra. Les deux-fois-nés qui n’accomplissent ni la Sandhyā du matin ni celle du soir doivent, par un souverain dharmique, être astreints à des travaux convenant au śūdra — afin de maintenir l’ordre social et rituel par la responsabilité.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that a ruler who upholds dharma should enforce responsibility: a dvija who abandons obligatory daily rites like morning and evening Sandhyā forfeits the privileges of dvija-conduct and may be assigned śūdra-appropriate work, emphasizing that status is tied to disciplined practice.
In Bhishma’s instruction on governance and dharma, he advises the king on how to respond to ritual negligence among the twice-born: the king should correct social and religious disorder by compelling such offenders to perform lower-status duties.