Shloka 31
अहिंसयित्वा ब्रह्महत्याविधानम् / Brahmahatyā incurred without physical violence
नाग्निं परित्यजेज्जातु न च वेदान् परित्यजेत् । नच ब्राह्मणमाक्रोशेत् सम॑ तद् ब्रह्महत्यया,अग्निहोत्रका कभी त्याग न करे। वेदोंका स्वाध्याय न छोड़े तथा ब्राह्मणकी निन्दा न करे; क्योंकि ये तीनों दोष ब्रह्महत्याके समान हैं
nāgniṃ parityajej jātu na ca vedān parityajet | na ca brāhmaṇam ākrośet samaṃ tad brahmahatyayā ||
Bhishma berkata: “Jangan sekali-kali meninggalkan api suci, jangan meninggalkan pengajian dan bacaan Veda, dan jangan mencela seorang brāhmaṇa. Tiga pelanggaran ini dinyatakan setara beratnya dengan brahmahatyā.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Maintain the three pillars that sustain dharma: (1) continuity of sacred fire/Agnihotra (ritual duty), (2) ongoing Vedic study (svādhyāya and preservation of sacred knowledge), and (3) restraint and reverence toward brāhmaṇas (respect for spiritual authority). Neglecting any of these is treated as a sin of the highest order, comparable to brahmahatyā.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma—lying on the bed of arrows—delivers systematic instruction on dharma to Yudhiṣṭhira. Here he lists prohibitions and ranks their gravity, warning that abandoning the sacred fire, abandoning Vedic study, or abusing a brāhmaṇa are offenses as severe as brahmahatyā.