Shloka 2
अनुशासनपर्व अध्याय ९३ — तपस्, सदोपवास, विघसाशन, अतिथिप्रियता
Austerity, regulated fasting, residual-eating, and hospitality
भीष्म उवाच ब्राह्मणान् न परीक्षेत क्षत्रियो दानधर्मवित् | दैवे कर्मणि पित्र्ये तु न्यायमाहुः परीक्षणम्
bhīṣma uvāca brāhmaṇān na parīkṣeta kṣatriyo dānadharmavit | daive karmaṇi pitrye tu nyāyam āhuḥ parīkṣaṇam ||
भीष्म बोले—राजन्! दानधर्म को जानने वाले क्षत्रिय को देवकर्म (यज्ञ-याग आदि) में ब्राह्मणों की परीक्षा नहीं करनी चाहिए; परन्तु पितृकर्म (श्राद्ध आदि) में उनकी परीक्षा करना न्यायोचित माना गया है।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma distinguishes between two ritual domains: in god-centered rites (yajña etc.) a patron-king should not ‘test’ Brahmins, whereas in ancestor rites (śrāddha) scrutiny is considered appropriate—implying greater concern for eligibility and purity in pitṛ-karmas.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma to the king (Yudhiṣṭhira), he lays down a rule of conduct for Kshatriya patrons regarding how they should relate to Brahmin officiants in different kinds of rituals—prohibiting examination in daiva rites but permitting it in pitṛ rites.