Shloka 25
Rājā–Rāja-Śabda-Prabhavaḥ — The Origin and Rationale of Kingship and Daṇḍanīti
ब्रह्मणश्ष प्रणाशेन धर्मो व्यनशदी श्वर । ततः सम समतां याता मर्त्यस्त्रिभुवनेश्वर
brahmaṇaḥ praṇāśena dharmo vyanaśad īśvara | tataḥ sama-samatāṁ yātā martyais tribhuvaneśvara ||
भीष्म बोले— ईश्वर! वैदिक ब्रह्म-ज्ञान के नष्ट होने से धर्म भी नष्ट हो गया। तब, हे त्रिभुवनेश्वर, हम देवता भी मनुष्यों के समान स्तर पर आ गये।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links the stability of dharma to the preservation of sacred knowledge (brahman/Veda). When that knowledge is lost, yajña-based dharma collapses, and even divine beings lose their distinctive power and status—implying that ethical-cosmic order depends on right understanding and practice.
Bhishma addresses the supreme Lord as the ruler of the three worlds, explaining a crisis: the disappearance of Vedic knowledge has led to the destruction of dharma, causing the gods (speaking collectively as 'we') to become like ordinary mortals.