Shloka 6
Kṣātra-dharma as the Public Foundation of Dharma (क्षात्रधर्म-प्रशंसा)
निर्मयदि चाशुचौ क्रूरवृत्तौ हिंसात्मके त्यक्तधर्मस्ववृत्ते । हव्यं कव्यं यानि चान्यानि राजन् देयान्यदेयानि भवन्ति चास्मै
nirmaryādi cāśucau krūravṛttau hiṁsātmake tyaktadharma-svavṛtte | havyaṁ kavyaṁ yāni cānyāni rājan deyānyadeyāni bhavanti cāsmai ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai Raja, apabila seorang brāhmaṇa tidak berdisiplin, tidak suci, berperangai kejam, cenderung kepada keganasan, serta meninggalkan dharmanya sendiri dan mata pencarian yang benar, maka segala persembahan—sama ada havya (untuk para dewa), kavya (untuk para leluhur), atau apa jua pemberian lain—menjadi baginya seolah-olah langsung tidak patut diberikan. Memberi kepada orang sedemikian tidak menghasilkan buah dharma yang sejati.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that the spiritual value of giving depends on the worthiness and conduct of the recipient. If a brāhmaṇa has abandoned dharma—becoming impure, cruel, and violent—then even sacred offerings (havya and kavya) lose their intended religious efficacy when given to him.
In the Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs King Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he explains criteria for proper giving and ritual offerings, warning that gifts to a morally fallen brāhmaṇa are effectively equivalent to not giving.