Shloka 27
Śakra–Śambara Saṃvāda: Brāhmaṇa-sevā, Anasūyā, and Vāg-bala (शक्रशम्बरसंवादः)
दुर्ग्राह्मो मुष्टिना वायुर्दु:स्पर्श: पाणिना शशी । दुर्धरा पृथिवी राजन दुर्जया ब्राह्मणा भुवि
durgrahmo muṣṭinā vāyur duḥsparśaḥ pāṇinā śaśī | durdharā pṛthivī rājan durjayā brāhmaṇā bhuvi ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô Roi, de même qu’il est extrêmement difficile de saisir le vent dans son poing, de toucher la lune de sa main ou de soulever la terre, de même est-il difficile de vaincre les brāhmaṇas sur cette terre.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should not presume that spiritual authority and dharmic strength can be subdued like worldly opponents; brāhmaṇas, protected by learning, austerity, and dharma, are ‘hard to conquer’ and must be approached with respect and restraint.
Bhīṣma is instructing the king (Yudhiṣṭhira in the Anuśāsana Parva context) on proper conduct and governance, using vivid impossibilities—grasping wind, touching the moon, lifting the earth—to emphasize the futility and danger of trying to overpower brāhmaṇas.