Shloka 23
Brāhmaṇa-vandana: Criteria for Veneration, Disciplined Speech, and Protective Kingship (अनुशासनपर्व, अध्याय ८)
(ब्राह्मणानुज्ञया ग्राह्मूं राज्यं च सपुरोहितै: । तद्रक्षणेन स्वर्गोडस्य तत्कोपान्नरको$क्षय: ।।
brāhmaṇānujñayā grāhyaṁ rājyaṁ ca sapurohitaiḥ | tad-rakṣaṇena svargo 'sya tat-kopān narako 'kṣayaḥ || putravat ca tato rakṣyā upāsyā guruvat te | agnivat copacaryā vai brāhmaṇāḥ kurusattama ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Les rois, avec leurs prêtres, ne doivent accepter et tenir la souveraineté qu’avec l’aval des brāhmaṇas. En protégeant les brāhmaṇas, le souverain atteint le ciel ; mais en excitant leur courroux, il tombe en enfer pour un temps sans fin. C’est pourquoi, ô le meilleur des Kurus, les brāhmaṇas doivent être gardés comme ses propres fils, révérés comme des maîtres, et servis et honorés comme on entretient le feu sacré.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Royal authority is ethically legitimate only when aligned with Brāhmaṇic sanction and protection of the learned/priestly class; safeguarding them leads to merit (svarga), while offending them brings grave demerit (naraka). The verse frames Brāhmaṇas as dependents to be protected (like sons), authorities to be revered (like gurus), and sacred presences to be ritually honored (like fire).
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he emphasizes rajadharma: how a king should relate to Brāhmaṇas and royal priests, presenting their protection and reverence as a decisive factor in the king’s moral and post-mortem fate.