Shloka 43
Yajña-bhāga-vyavasthā and the Pravṛtti–Nivṛtti Framework (यज्ञभागव्यवस्था तथा प्रवृत्तिनिवृत्तिधर्मविवेचनम्)
चत्वारस्ते वयं शिष्या गुरुपुत्रश्न पजचम: । इह वेदा: प्रतिष्ठेरन्नेष न: कांक्षितो वर:,ब्राह्मणाय सदा देयं ब्रह्म शुश्रूषवे तथा
catvārās te vayaṁ śiṣyā guruputraś ca pañcamaḥ | iha vedāḥ pratiṣṭherann eṣa naḥ kāṅkṣito varaḥ | brāhmaṇāya sadā deyaṁ brahma śuśrūṣave tathā ||
“Kami berempat adalah murid, dan putra sang guru adalah murid kelima. Di sini, Veda-veda tegak kukuh pada kelima orang itu—itulah anugerah yang kami dambakan. Karena itu, pengetahuan suci hendaknya senantiasa diberikan kepada seorang brāhmaṇa yang melayani dengan hormat dan tekun dalam sikap seorang murid.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sacred knowledge (brahma/Vedic learning) should be transmitted responsibly: it is to be given to a qualified brāhmaṇa who approaches with reverent service and disciplined attentiveness (śuśrūṣā), so that the Vedas remain firmly established.
Bhīṣma recalls a traditional instructional setting with four disciples and the teacher’s son as the fifth, emphasizing that their aim was the firm establishment of Vedic learning, and drawing from that memory a rule about to whom such knowledge should be imparted.