Shloka 9
Taḍāga-Phala and Vṛkṣāropaṇa
Merit of Ponds and Tree-Planting
ब्राह्माणेष्वार्जवं यच्च स्थैर्य च धरणीतले । सौम्यतां चैव सोमस्य गाम्भीर्य वरुणस्य च
bhīṣma uvāca | brāhmaṇeṣv ārjavaṁ yac ca sthairyaṁ ca dharaṇītale | saumyatāṁ caiva somasya gāmbhīryaṁ varuṇasya ca |
ビーシュマは言った。「婆羅門が率直さをもって知られ、大地が不動の堅さをもって知られ、ソーマが柔和をもって知られ、ヴァルナ（大海）が深遠をもって知られるように、世の道義の秩序を支える、侵してはならぬ境界がある。庇護を求め来た者を殺す人は、その境界を踏み越えて打ち砕く者と見なされ、ダルマを支える神聖を滅ぼす者となる。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that killing a person who has sought refuge (śaraṇāgata) is a grave violation of dharma. Such an act is portrayed as transgressing the natural and moral boundaries exemplified by the defining virtues of Brahmins, the earth, Soma, and Varuṇa—thereby undermining the very order that sustains society.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on righteous conduct and moral law. Here he uses a chain of cosmic and social exemplars—Brahmin integrity, the earth’s stability, Soma’s gentleness, and Varuṇa’s depth—to emphasize the enormity of betraying and killing someone who has come seeking protection.