Shloka 49
अनुशासनपर्व अध्याय ९३ — तपस्, सदोपवास, विघसाशन, अतिथिप्रियता
Austerity, regulated fasting, residual-eating, and hospitality
ऋषीणां समये नित्यं ये चरन्ति युधिष्ठिर । निश्चिता: सर्वधर्मज्ञास्तान् देवा ब्राह्मणान् विदु:
ṛṣīṇāṃ samaye nityaṃ ye caranti yudhiṣṭhira | niścitāḥ sarvadharmajñās tān devā brāhmaṇān viduḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô Yudhiṣṭhira, ceux qui vivent toujours selon la règle établie et enseignée par les voyants—dont l’intelligence est ferme et arrêtée, et qui connaissent toute l’étendue du dharma—ceux-là, les dieux eux-mêmes les reconnaissent comme de véritables brāhmaṇas.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True brāhmaṇahood is defined by sustained conduct aligned with the seers’ established dharma, steadiness of conviction, and comprehensive knowledge of dharma—not merely by external markers.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and social-religious ideals; here he explains whom even the gods acknowledge as genuine brāhmaṇas—those who consistently follow ṛṣi-sanctioned norms with firm understanding.