Shloka 13
तद्वाक्यान्ते चान्तरिक्षे वागुवाचाशरीरिणी
tadvākyānte cāntarikṣe vāg uvācāśarīriṇī | mūrkha! tvaṁ na jānāsi yathā brāhmaṇaḥ kṣatriyād api śreṣṭhaḥ | brāhmaṇasya sahāyatayaiva kṣatriyo ’smin loke prajā-rakṣāṁ karoti ||
Begitu ucapannya berakhir, terdengarlah suara tanpa wujud dari angkasa: “Hai bodoh! Tidakkah engkau tahu bahwa seorang brāhmaṇa lebih luhur bahkan daripada seorang kṣatriya? Hanya dengan dukungan brāhmaṇa-lah kṣatriya melindungi rakyat di dunia ini.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a dharmic hierarchy and interdependence: the kṣatriya’s political power is meant to serve protection of the people, but it must be guided and supported by brāhmaṇic counsel—learning, ritual authority, and moral restraint—without which rulership becomes misguided.
After someone finishes speaking, a disembodied heavenly voice intervenes to rebuke him as ignorant and to proclaim that brāhmaṇas are superior to kṣatriyas, emphasizing that a ruler can protect society properly only with brāhmaṇa support.