Shloka 26
राजधर्मप्रश्नः — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry into Rājadharma (Śānti-parva 56)
एवं कृत्वा महाराज नमस्या एव ते द्विजा: । भीम ब्रह्म द्विजश्रेष्ठा धारयन्ति समर्चिता:
evaṁ kṛtvā mahārāja namasyā eva te dvijāḥ | bhūmi-brahma dvijaśreṣṭhā dhārayanti samarcitāḥ ||
Bhishma dit : «Ainsi donc, ô grand roi, en y réfléchissant de la sorte, tu dois toujours offrir de respectueuses salutations aux “deux-fois-nés” (les brahmanes). Car ces brahmanes, les plus éminents, lorsqu’ils sont honorés comme il se doit, soutiennent le “Brahman de la terre”, c’est-à-dire le Veda, et maintiennent ainsi l’ordre moral et spirituel.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king should consistently honor and salute brahmins, because when respected they preserve and transmit the Veda—seen here as the sustaining spiritual authority within society—thereby supporting dharma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma after the war, Bhīṣma addresses the king and urges a policy of reverence toward brahmins, grounding it in their role as bearers of Vedic knowledge and moral order.