Shloka 5
नागभायोवाच शिष्याणां गुरुशुश्रूषा विप्राणां वेदधारणम् । भृत्यानां स्वामिवचनं राज्ञो लोकानुपालनम्
nāgabhāryovāca—śiṣyāṇāṁ guruśuśrūṣā viprāṇāṁ vedadhāraṇam | bhṛtyānāṁ svāmivacanaṁ rājño lokānupālanam ||
Istri Nāga berkata: “Bagi para pelajar, dharma adalah berbakti melayani guru; bagi para brahmana, menjaga dan menegakkan Weda; bagi para pelayan, melaksanakan titah tuan; dan bagi seorang raja, melindungi serta menyejahterakan rakyat tanpa henti.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse defines role-based dharma: disciples serve and learn from the teacher, brahmins preserve the Vedas, servants obey rightful commands, and kings protect and sustain the people—each station is measured by faithful performance of its responsibility.
Within Bhīṣma’s discourse in the Śānti Parva, a Nāga wife is quoted as articulating a concise ethical taxonomy of duties, using familiar social roles to illustrate how dharma operates through responsibility and protection rather than mere status.