Shloka 32
अन्नदान-प्रशंसा (Praise of the Gift of Food) | Annadāna-Praśaṃsā
तात! यदि ब्राह्मण क्षत्रियोंके द्वारा सम्मानित न हों तथा क्षत्रियमें सदा रहनेवाले निष्ठर कर्मको देखकर ब्राह्मण भी उनका परित्याग कर दें तो वे क्षत्रिय वेद
tāta! yadi brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyaiḥ na satkṛtāḥ syuḥ, tathā kṣatriye sadā vartamānaṃ niṣṭhuraṃ karma dṛṣṭvā brāhmaṇā api tān parityajeyuḥ, tadā te kṣatriyā vedāt, yajñāt, uttamalokāt, ājīvikāyāś ca bhraṣṭāḥ syuḥ. tasmin daśāyāṃ brāhmaṇānām āśrayaṃ gṛhṇatāṃ tvām ṛte teṣāṃ anyeṣāṃ kṣatriyāṇāṃ jīvitena kiṃ prayojanam? annaṃ te vartayiṣyāmi yathā dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ | rājanyo brāhmaṇān rājann purā paricacāra ha ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai anakku, bila para brāhmaṇa tidak dihormati oleh para kṣatriya, dan bila—melihat kekerasan tindakan yang terus melekat pada watak kṣatriya—para brāhmaṇa pun meninggalkan mereka, maka para kṣatriya itu akan jatuh dari Veda, dari yajña, dari alam-alam tertinggi, bahkan dari penghidupan mereka. Dalam keadaan demikian, apa guna hidup kṣatriya lain—selain engkau—yang berlindung pada para brāhmaṇa? Aku akan memeliharamu dengan pangan sesuai Dharma yang abadi; sebab pada masa silam, wahai raja, kaum kṣatriya melayani para brāhmaṇa.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that royal power must be restrained and guided by reverence for Brahminical learning and ritual authority; when Kshatriyas fail to honor Brahmins (and Brahmins withdraw support), the Kshatriyas lose access to Vedic legitimacy, sacrificial merit, higher spiritual destinations, and even stable livelihood—so the ruler’s ethical survival depends on maintaining this reciprocal dharmic relationship.
In Anushasana Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhishma addresses a king (traditionally Yudhiṣṭhira) and warns about the consequences of alienating Brahmins through harsh conduct. He contrasts a degenerate present with an idealized past where Kshatriyas served Brahmins, and he frames the king’s refuge in Brahmins as the meaningful basis for rulership and social stability.