Shloka 7
Adhyāya 90 — Protection of Livelihoods, Brahmanical Subsistence Norms, and Royal Oversight (राष्ट्रवृत्ति-राष्ट्रगुप्ति-उपदेशः)
कृषिगोरक्ष्यवाणिज्यं लोकानामिह जीवनम् | ऊर्ध्व॑ चैव त्रयी विद्या सा भूतान् भावयत्युत
bhīṣma uvāca |
kṛṣigorakṣyavāṇijyaṁ lokānām iha jīvanam |
ūrdhvaṁ caiva trayī vidyā sā bhūtān bhāvayaty uta ||
Bhishma berkata: “Pertanian, pemeliharaan ternak, dan perdagangan adalah sarana penghidupan manusia di dunia ini. Namun pengetahuan tiga serangkai—tiga Veda—juga melindungi di alam yang lebih tinggi; dan melalui upacara yajña ia menumbuhkan serta memelihara semua makhluk.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly society is sustained by practical livelihoods (farming, cattle-rearing, trade), while the Vedic tradition—especially as expressed through yajña—supports welfare beyond this life and is presented as a cosmic principle that nourishes all beings.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to the king, Bhishma explains the complementary roles of economic activity and sacred knowledge: material occupations maintain life here, while Vedic rites and learning are portrayed as sustaining order and prosperity in both this world and higher realms.