Shloka 17
Brāhmaṇa-vandana: Criteria for Veneration, Disciplined Speech, and Protective Kingship (अनुशासनपर्व, अध्याय ८)
कर्मणा मनसा वापि वाचा वापि परंतप । यन्मे कृतं ब्राह्मुणेभ्यस्तेनाद्य न तपाम्यहम्
karmaṇā manasā vāpi vācā vāpi parantapa | yan me kṛtaṃ brāhmaṇebhyas tenādya na tapāmy aham ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai penakluk musuh, baik melalui perbuatan, pikiran, maupun ucapan—apa pun pelayanan yang telah kuberikan kepada para Brahmana, oleh kekuatan pahala itulah kini, meski aku jatuh dalam keadaan seperti ini, aku tidak terbakar oleh derita.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Merit gained by respectful service—through action, thought, and speech—especially toward Brahmanas and the learned, becomes an inner support in times of suffering; ethical conduct across all three channels (body, mind, speech) steadies the mind.
Bhishma, lying in a grievous condition after the war, instructs the king (Yudhishthira). He explains that he does not feel overwhelming anguish now because of the beneficial acts he previously performed for Brahmanas.