Shloka 2
Brāhmaṇa-pūjā and Namaskāra: Criteria of Reverence and Non-Offense (ब्राह्मणपूजा-नमस्कारविधिः)
भवन्तो वै महाभागा अपरोक्षनिशाचरा: । उच्छिष्टानशुचीन क्षुद्रान् कथं हिंसथ मानवान्,“महाभागगण! आपलोग प्रत्यक्ष निशाचर हैं। बताइये, अपवित्र, उच्छिष्ट और शाद्र मनुष्योंकी किस तरह और क्यों हिंसा करते हैं?
bhavanto vai mahābhāgā aparokṣaniśācarāḥ | ucchiṣṭānaśucīn kṣudrān kathaṁ hiṁsatha mānavān ||
Bhishma berkata: “Kamu benar-benar makhluk yang bertuah dan mulia—para pengembara malam yang tampak di hadapan mata. Katakanlah: bagaimana dan atas sebab apa kamu mencederakan manusia—mereka yang tidak suci, tercemar oleh sisa makanan, dan berkelakuan hina?”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry into violence: even when the victims are described as impure or of low conduct, Bhishma demands a reasoned account of why harm is inflicted. It highlights that moral justification for hiṁsā must be examined, not assumed.
Bhishma addresses a group of manifest ‘night‑wanderers’ (niśācaras), respectfully calling them mahābhāgāḥ, and questions them about their practice of harming humans—asking both the manner (katham) and the motive (implicit ‘why’) behind such violence.