Shloka 113
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
पुत्रश्न पितरं मोहात् प्रेषयिष्यति कर्मसु । ब्राह्मणै: कारयिष्यन्ति वृषला: पादधावनम्
putraśna pitaraṃ mohāt preṣayiṣyati karmasu | brāhmaṇaiḥ kārayiṣyanti vṛṣalāḥ pādadhāvanam ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Aveuglé par l’illusion, un fils qui vit des gains de son propre fils enverra son père accomplir des besognes serviles. Et des hommes de basse naissance, étrangers au dharma, feront même laver des pieds aux brāhmaṇas».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns moral inversion: delusion and greed lead a son to dishonor his father, and social power shifts so that the unrighteous can humiliate the virtuous. It warns that when dharma declines, natural duties—especially reverence toward parents and respect for spiritual integrity—are overturned.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is describing symptoms of societal decay (often framed as signs of Kali). He depicts a future where familial duty collapses and coercive, adharmic people force brāhmaṇas into degrading service, illustrating the breakdown of rightful conduct and hierarchy.