Shloka 12
Go-mahātmyam: Pavitrāṇāṃ Pavitraṃ
Cows and Ghee as Supreme Purifiers
यथा हाामृतमाश्रित्य वर्तयन्ति दिवौकस: । तथा वृत्तिं समाश्रित्य वर्तयन्ति प्रजा विभो,प्रभो! जैसे देवता अमृतका आश्रय लेकर जीवन-निर्वाह करते हैं, उसी प्रकार समस्त प्रजा आजीविकाके सहारे जीवन धारण करती है
yathā hāmṛtam āśritya vartayanti divaukasaḥ | tathā vṛttiṃ samāśritya vartayanti prajā vibho ||
Bhīṣma dit : « Ô puissant ! De même que les dieux maintiennent leur existence en s’appuyant sur l’amṛta (le nectar d’immortalité), ainsi tous les hommes maintiennent leur vie en s’appuyant sur la vṛtti, le moyen de subsistance. La subsistance est le soutien par lequel la société demeure. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that livelihood (vṛtti) is as essential to human society as amṛta is to the gods: it is the sustaining support of life. Ethically, it implies that ensuring and protecting rightful means of subsistence is central to dharma and good governance.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma continues instructing the king on dharma. Here he uses a vivid comparison—gods depending on amṛta—to emphasize to the ruler that the people depend on their livelihoods, and that social stability rests on that support.