Shloka 59
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
ये त्वां ब्राह्मण नेच्छन्ति ते न वत्स्यन्ति मे गृहे भवतैव हि तज्ज्ञेयं यत्तदेषामनन्तरम्
ye tvāṃ brāhmaṇa necchanti te na vatsyanti me gṛhe | bhavataiva hi taj jñeyaṃ yat tad eṣām anantaram ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai Brahmana, mereka yang tidak menghendaki engkau tinggal di rumahku, mereka sendiri tidak akan dapat tinggal di dalamnya. Engkau yang memahami perkara ini hendaknya menimbang apa yang akan menyusul bagi mereka; dan engkau sendiri pertimbangkanlah kewajiban apa yang kini diperlukan untuk menundukkan para penentang itu.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses dharmic consequence: rejecting a worthy guest or righteous presence rebounds upon the rejecters themselves. It also places responsibility on the wise to judge the proper next action—restraint and corrective duty—rather than acting blindly.
Bhīṣma addresses a Brāhmaṇa and declares that those who oppose the Brāhmaṇa’s staying in his house will lose their own place there. He then urges the Brāhmaṇa, as one who understands the situation, to determine what consequence is imminent and what necessary duty should be undertaken to curb the opponents.