Shloka 6
सर्वभूतपरित्राणं क्षत्रधर्म इहोच्यते । वैश्यानां यज्ञसंवृत्तिरातिथेियसमन्विता
sarvabhūta-paritrāṇaṁ kṣatra-dharma iha ucyate | vaiśyānāṁ yajña-saṁvṛttir ātithya-samanvitā ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Di dunia ini, kewajipan seorang kṣatriya dinyatakan sebagai melindungi dan memelihara segala makhluk bernyawa. Bagi vaiśya pula, kewajipan yang ditetapkan ialah melaksanakan serta memelihara upacara korban (yajña) dengan sempurna, berserta memuliakan tetamu.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma defines class-based duties: the kṣatriya’s central obligation is universal protection (public safety and guardianship of beings), while the vaiśya’s is sustaining sacrificial/religious economy and social cohesion through yajña and hospitality.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he succinctly states the normative duties of the kṣatriya and vaiśya as part of a broader teaching on social order and righteous conduct.