Shloka 6
Brāhmaṇa-vandana: Criteria for Veneration, Disciplined Speech, and Protective Kingship (अनुशासनपर्व, अध्याय ८)
संसत्सु वदतां तात हंसानामिव संघश: । मड्ुल्यरूपा रुचिरा दिव्यजीमूतनि:स्वना:
saṃsatsu vadatāṃ tāta haṃsānām iva saṃghaśaḥ | maṅgalyarūpā rucirā divyajīmūtaniḥsvanāḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai anakku, Yudhishthira! Di balairung, ketika mereka berbicara, kata-kata mereka terdengar seperti seruan kawanan angsa—indah, membawa berkah, memikat, dan bergema dalam seperti suara awan hujan yang ilahi. Brahmana semacam itu—berbudi halus, tekun berswādhyāya, mengekang indria, manis tutur katanya, berpadu antara pengetahuan śāstra dan laku benar, serta mengenal Paramātman yang tak binasa—itulah yang kuagungkan. Bila seorang raja ingin mendengarkan para mahātmā itu, nasihat mereka membawa kebaikan dan kebahagiaan di dunia ini dan di alam sesudahnya.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king should value and listen to learned, self-controlled, ethically grounded Brahmanas whose speech is gentle, auspicious, and well-formed; such counsel benefits both worldly governance and the afterlife.
In the Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and ideal social conduct; here he praises the exemplary Brahmanas whose dignified speech in assemblies resembles the pleasing, deep resonance of swans and rain-clouds.