Shloka 2
Śakra–Śambara Saṃvāda: Brāhmaṇa-sevā, Anasūyā, and Vāg-bala (शक्रशम्बरसंवादः)
भीष्म उवाच एतदू राज्ञ: कृत्यतममभिषिक्तस्य भारत । ब्राह्मणानामनुष्ठानमत्यन्तं सुखमिच्छता
bhīṣma uvāca etad u rājñaḥ kṛtyatamam abhiṣiktasya bhārata | brāhmaṇānām anuṣṭhānam atyantaṁ sukham icchatā ||
ಭೀಷ್ಮನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ಓ ಭಾರತಾ! ಅಭಿಷಿಕ್ತನಾದ ರಾಜನಿಗೆ ಇದೇ ನಿಜಕ್ಕೂ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಅವಶ್ಯಕ ಕರ್ತವ್ಯ—ಪರಮ ಹಿತ ಮತ್ತು ಸ್ಥಿರ ಸುಖವನ್ನು ಬಯಸುವವನು ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣರ प्रति ಇರುವ ಕರ್ತವ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ಶ್ರದ್ಧೆಯಿಂದ ಆಚರಿಸಬೇಕು.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A consecrated king’s foremost obligation is to uphold and properly attend to the Brahminical order—supporting and honoring those entrusted with learning, ritual, and moral guidance—because this sustains dharma and leads to the ruler’s highest welfare and happiness.
In the Anushasana Parva, Bhishma continues instructing Yudhishthira on righteous governance. Here he emphasizes that, after coronation, the king’s central practical duty is the proper observance of responsibilities toward Brahmins as part of maintaining social and moral order.