Shloka 3
Adhyāya 90 — Protection of Livelihoods, Brahmanical Subsistence Norms, and Royal Oversight (राष्ट्रवृत्ति-राष्ट्रगुप्ति-उपदेशः)
विप्रश्नेत् त्यागमातिष्ठेदात्मार्थ वृत्तिकर्शित: । परिकल्प्यास्य वृत्ति: स्थात् सदारस्य नराधिप
bhīṣma uvāca | vipraḥ śneta tyāgam ātiṣṭhed ātmārtha-vṛtti-karśitaḥ | parikalpyāsya vṛttiḥ sthāt sadāraś ca narādhipa, rājan |
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai raja, jika seorang brahmana, dilemahkan oleh ketiadaan sara hidup untuk menanggung dirinya, hendak meninggalkan negeri dan pergi ke tempat lain, maka menjadi kewajipan pemerintah—wahai tuan manusia—untuk mengatur rezekinya, agar dia dan keluarganya terus terpelihara. Dengan demikian raja menegakkan dharma, melindungi ilmu dan mereka yang hidup dengannya.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king must ensure that a brahmin who is weakened by lack of livelihood is provided for—along with his household—so that he need not abandon the kingdom; this is presented as a concrete obligation of rajadharma.
In Bhishma’s instruction to the king during the Shanti Parva, he describes a scenario where a brahmin, unable to sustain himself, prepares to leave the realm; Bhishma states that the ruler should intervene by arranging stable support for the brahmin and his family.