Shloka 196
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
सर्वास्तान् धार्मिको राजा शूद्रकर्माणि कारयेत् | जो द्विज न तो प्रातःकालकी संध्या करते हैं और न सायंकालकी ही, उन सबसे धार्मिक राजा शूद्रोचित कर्म करावे
sarvāṁs tān dhārmiko rājā śūdrakarmāṇi kārayet | ye dvijā na prātaḥkālasandhyāṁ kurvanti na sāyaṁkālasandhyām api, tān sarvān dhārmiko rājā śūdrocityaṁ karma kārayet ||
ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു— പ്രഭാത സന്ധ്യയും സായാഹ്ന സന്ധ്യയും അനുഷ്ഠിക്കാത്ത ആ ദ്വിജന്മാരെയൊക്കെയും ധാർമ്മികനായ രാജാവ് ശൂദ്രോചിതമായ കർമങ്ങളിൽ ഏർപ്പെടുത്തണം.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that a ruler who upholds dharma should enforce responsibility: a dvija who abandons obligatory daily rites like morning and evening Sandhyā forfeits the privileges of dvija-conduct and may be assigned śūdra-appropriate work, emphasizing that status is tied to disciplined practice.
In Bhishma’s instruction on governance and dharma, he advises the king on how to respond to ritual negligence among the twice-born: the king should correct social and religious disorder by compelling such offenders to perform lower-status duties.