Shloka 36
पात्रलक्षण-परिक्षा (Pātra-Lakṣaṇa Parīkṣā) — Criteria for a Worthy Recipient
महारथश्न राजन्य एष्टव्य: शत्रुतापन: । सबको यह इच्छा करनी चाहिये कि राष्ट्रमें ब्रह्मतेजसे सम्पन्न पवित्र ब्राह्मण उत्पन्न हो और शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले महारथी क्षत्रियकी उत्पत्ति हो
mahārathaś ca rājan ya eṣṭavyaḥ śatrutāpanaḥ | sarveṣāṃ eṣā icchā kartavyā yadrāṣṭre brahmatejasā sampannaḥ pavitraḥ brāhmaṇaḥ prajāyeta, śatrūṇāṃ santāpadātā mahārathī kṣatriyaś ca prajāyeta ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô roi, il faut œuvrer à l’avènement d’un grand guerrier de char, un kṣatriya capable de brûler les ennemis. Oui, chacun devrait souhaiter ceci : que dans le royaume naisse un brāhmane pur, doté de l’éclat du savoir sacré, et qu’y naisse aussi un kṣatriya puissant—guerrier accompli—qui puisse faire souffrir les forces adverses.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A well-ordered realm depends on complementary strengths: spiritual purity and authority embodied by a learned, radiant Brāhmaṇa, and protective power embodied by a formidable Kṣatriya capable of restraining and defeating enemies. The verse frames this as a legitimate aspiration for the welfare and security of the polity.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the king on dharma and governance. Here he emphasizes what kinds of people a kingdom should hope to produce—pure, spiritually potent Brahmins and powerful warrior-protectors—so that the realm remains both righteous and secure.