Shloka 17
पात्रलक्षण-परिक्षा (Pātra-Lakṣaṇa Parīkṣā) — Criteria for a Worthy Recipient
अपने तेज और बलसे तपते हुए क्षत्रियोंके तेज और बल ब्राह्मणोंके सामने आनेपर ही शान्त होते हैं ।।
kṣatriyāṇāṁ tejasā balena ca tapyamānānāṁ tejo balaṁ ca brāhmaṇānām agre samāgate śāmyati | bhṛgavas tālajaṅghān aṅgirasaś ca naipān ajayan | bharadvājo vaihatavyān ailāṁś ca, bharatarṣabha bharataśreṣṭha |
Bhīṣma dit : Lorsque les kṣatriya flambent de leur propre puissance et de leur éclat guerrier, cette force même s’apaise dès qu’ils se trouvent face aux brāhmanes. Car jadis les brāhmanes bhārgava, du lignage de Bhṛgu, soumirent les Talajaṅgha ; les descendants d’Aṅgiras vainquirent les rois Naipa ; et Bharadvāja défit les Haihaya ainsi que les fils d’Ilā.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Martial power and royal pride are not supreme; they are meant to be governed by dharma. The verse teaches that Brahminical authority—grounded in learning, restraint, and tapas—can pacify and correct Kshatriya force when it becomes excessive.
Bhishma addresses Yudhiṣṭhira and supports his point with precedents: specific Brahmin lineages and sages are said to have defeated or subdued powerful royal clans (Talajanghas, Naipas, Haihayas, and the Aila line), illustrating the superiority of disciplined spiritual power over mere physical might.