Shloka 36
अनुशासनपर्व अध्याय ९३ — तपस्, सदोपवास, विघसाशन, अतिथिप्रियता
Austerity, regulated fasting, residual-eating, and hospitality
अग्रया: सर्वेषु वेदेषु सर्वप्रवचनेषु च । यावदेते प्रपश्यन्ति पंक्त्यास्तावत्पुनन्त्युत
agrayāḥ sarveṣu vedeṣu sarvapravacaneṣu ca | yāvad ete prapaśyanti paṅktyās tāvat punanty uta ||
Bhishma berkata: Mereka yang terdepan dalam semua Weda dan dalam setiap pengajaran suci—sejauh para brahmana seperti itu dalam barisan jamuan memandang, sejauh itu pula mereka menyucikan semua yang duduk di sana.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True Vedic excellence is not merely textual learning but disciplined authority that benefits others; the presence (and even the gaze) of genuinely foremost Brahmins is portrayed as sanctifying, emphasizing integrity, restraint, and mastery as sources of communal purification.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (Anuśāsana Parva), he describes the exceptional status of eminent Brahmins in a ritual/social setting (a paṅkti, dining-row), stating that their very presence purifies those within the range of their sight.