Shloka 18
देवानामपि ये देवा: कारणं कारणस्य च । प्रमाणस्य प्रमाणं च कस्तानभिभवेद् बुध:
devānām api ye devāḥ kāraṇaṁ kāraṇasya ca | pramāṇasya pramāṇaṁ ca kas tān abhibhaved budhaḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Para Brahmana itu seolah-olah ‘dewa’ bagi para dewa; mereka ialah sebab di balik segala sebab, dan ukuran di balik segala ukuran. Maka siapakah orang bijaksana yang akan cuba mengatasi atau menghina mereka?”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that Brahmanas, as custodians of sacred knowledge and moral authority, should not be insulted or overpowered; wisdom expresses itself through reverence for the sources of dharma and valid knowledge (pramāṇa).
In the Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma. Here he emphasizes the exalted status of Brahmanas—portraying them as foundational to cosmic and ethical order—and warns that a truly wise person would not dishonour them.