Shloka 2
Śakra–Śambara Saṃvāda: Brāhmaṇa-sevā, Anasūyā, and Vāg-bala (शक्रशम्बरसंवादः)
भीष्म उवाच एतदू राज्ञ: कृत्यतममभिषिक्तस्य भारत । ब्राह्मणानामनुष्ठानमत्यन्तं सुखमिच्छता
bhīṣma uvāca etad u rājñaḥ kṛtyatamam abhiṣiktasya bhārata | brāhmaṇānām anuṣṭhānam atyantaṁ sukham icchatā ||
Bhīṣma dit : « Ô Bharata, pour un roi dûment consacré, voici en vérité le devoir le plus essentiel : observer fidèlement les obligations dues aux brahmanes, pour qui recherche le plus haut bien et un bonheur durable. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A consecrated king’s foremost obligation is to uphold and properly attend to the Brahminical order—supporting and honoring those entrusted with learning, ritual, and moral guidance—because this sustains dharma and leads to the ruler’s highest welfare and happiness.
In the Anushasana Parva, Bhishma continues instructing Yudhishthira on righteous governance. Here he emphasizes that, after coronation, the king’s central practical duty is the proper observance of responsibilities toward Brahmins as part of maintaining social and moral order.