Shloka 19
पात्रलक्षण-परिक्षा (Pātra-Lakṣaṇa Parīkṣā) — Criteria for a Worthy Recipient
यत् किंचित् कथ्यते लोके श्रूयते पठ्यतेडपि वा । सर्व तद् ब्राह्मणेष्वेव गूढो ग्निरिव दारुषु,संसारमें जो कुछ कहा-सुना या पढ़ा जाता है वह सब काठमें छिपी हुई आगकी तरह ब्राह्मणोंमें ही स्थित है
yat kiñcit kathyate loke śrūyate paṭhyate ’pi vā | sarva tad brāhmaṇeṣv eva gūḍho ’gnir iva dāruṣu ||
Bhīṣma dit : Tout ce qui se dit dans le monde—tout ce qui s’entend, ou même se lit—trouve son siège ultime chez les brāhmanes, comme le feu demeure caché dans le bois.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
All forms of meaningful discourse—spoken, heard, or read—ultimately depend on the preservation and disciplined transmission of sacred and learned tradition, symbolized here by the Brāhmaṇas; knowledge is latent like fire in wood and becomes manifest through proper cultivation.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma continues instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and social-religious duties; in this verse he emphasizes the foundational role of Brāhmaṇas in safeguarding and articulating what society recognizes as authoritative knowledge.