Shloka 14
Brāhmaṇa-vandana: Criteria for Veneration, Disciplined Speech, and Protective Kingship (अनुशासनपर्व, अध्याय ८)
यथा मम प्रियतमास्त्वत्तो विप्रा: कुरूत्तम | तेन सत्येन गच्छेयं लोकान् यत्र स शान्तनुः
yathā mama priyatamās tvatto viprāḥ kurūttama | tena satyena gaccheyaṁ lokān yatra sa śāntanuḥ kuruśreṣṭha |
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai yang terbaik di antara Kuru, sebagaimana para brahmana lebih kukasihi daripada engkau, dengan kekuatan kebenaran itu semoga aku mencapai alam-alam mulia tempat ayahku Śāntanu telah pergi.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse upholds the primacy of honoring Brāhmaṇas and the moral potency of satya (truth). Bhīṣma asserts that a truthful declaration aligned with dharma carries spiritual efficacy, capable of guiding one toward meritorious realms.
Bhīṣma addresses the Kuru king (Kurūttama/Kuruśreṣṭha) and makes a solemn statement: that Brāhmaṇas are dearest to him. He invokes this truth as a kind of ethical-spiritual force, expressing his aspiration to reach the same blessed worlds attained by his father Śāntanu.