Shloka 11

Brāhmaṇa-bheda-nirṇaya and Rājā’s Regulatory Duties (ब्राह्मणभेदनिर्णयः)

Devanagari script

विकर्मस्थाश्ष नोपेक्ष्या विप्रा राज्ञा कथंचन । नियम्या: संविभज्याश्न धर्मानुग्रहकारणात्‌,राजाको कर्मभ्रष्ट ब्राह्मणोंकी किसी प्रकार उपेक्षा नहीं करनी चाहिये। बल्कि धर्मपर अनुग्रह करनेके लिये उन्हें दण्ड देना और श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मणोंकी श्रेणीसे अलग कर देना चाहिये

Transliteration

vikarmasthāś ca nopekṣyā viprā rājñā kathaṃcana | niyamyāḥ saṃvibhajyaś ca dharmānugrahakāraṇāt ||

Translation

Bhīṣma berkata: “Brahmana yang jatuh dalam vikarma jangan sekali-kali diabaikan oleh raja. Demi menegakkan dharma, raja harus mengekang dan mendisiplinkan mereka, serta memisahkan mereka dari golongan Brahmana teladan.”

Word by Word

विकर्मस्थाःthose situated in wrongful acts (fallen into misconduct)

नnot

उपेक्ष्याःto be neglected/ignored

विप्राःbrahmins

राज्ञाby the king

कथंचनin any way; at all

नियम्याःto be restrained/controlled (disciplined)

संविभज्यhaving separated/assigned (after dividing off)

चand

धर्मानुग्रहकारणात्for the sake/cause of favoring (supporting) dharma

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

king (rājā)

Brahmins (viprāḥ)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A king must not excuse or ignore wrongdoing simply because the offender is a Brahmin; to protect dharma, he should restrain, correct, and formally distinguish the errant from truly exemplary Brahmins.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous governance, Bhishma advises the king on how to respond when Brahmins deviate into prohibited conduct: not with neglect, but with corrective restraint and clear social classification to uphold dharma.