Shloka 9
Taḍāga-Phala and Vṛkṣāropaṇa
Merit of Ponds and Tree-Planting
ब्राह्माणेष्वार्जवं यच्च स्थैर्य च धरणीतले । सौम्यतां चैव सोमस्य गाम्भीर्य वरुणस्य च
bhīṣma uvāca | brāhmaṇeṣv ārjavaṁ yac ca sthairyaṁ ca dharaṇītale | saumyatāṁ caiva somasya gāmbhīryaṁ varuṇasya ca |
Bhishma berkata: “Sebagaimana Brahmana dikenal karena kelurusan hati, bumi karena keteguhannya, Soma karena kelembutannya, dan Varuna (samudra) karena kedalamannya—demikian pula ada batas-batas tak tersentuh yang menegakkan tatanan dharma. Orang yang membunuh mereka yang telah memohon perlindungan dipandang melampaui dan meremukkan batas-batas itu, menjadi perusak kesucian yang menopang dharma.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that killing a person who has sought refuge (śaraṇāgata) is a grave violation of dharma. Such an act is portrayed as transgressing the natural and moral boundaries exemplified by the defining virtues of Brahmins, the earth, Soma, and Varuṇa—thereby undermining the very order that sustains society.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on righteous conduct and moral law. Here he uses a chain of cosmic and social exemplars—Brahmin integrity, the earth’s stability, Soma’s gentleness, and Varuṇa’s depth—to emphasize the enormity of betraying and killing someone who has come seeking protection.