Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 20
Adhyāya 142: Cyavana, the Devas’ Arrogance, and Vāyu’s Counsel on Protecting Brāhmaṇas
सहस्रचित्यो: राजर्षि: प्राणानिष्टान् महायशा: । ब्राह्मणार्थे परित्यज्य गतो लोकाननुच्तमान्
sahasracityo rājārṣiḥ prāṇān iṣṭān mahāyaśāḥ | brāhmaṇārthe parityajya gato lokān anuttamān ||
ਭੀਸ਼ਮ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ— ਮਹਾਯਸ਼ਸਵੀ ਰਾਜਰਿਸ਼ੀ ਸਹਸ੍ਰਚਿਤ੍ਯ ਨੇ ਇੱਕ ਬ੍ਰਾਹਮਣ ਦੇ ਹਿਤ ਲਈ ਆਪਣੇ ਪ੍ਰਿਯ ਪ੍ਰਾਣ ਤੱਕ ਤਿਆਗ ਦਿੱਤੇ; ਅਤੇ ਇਸ ਤਿਆਗ ਨਾਲ ਅਨੁੱਤਮ ਲੋਕ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਕੀਤੇ।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That the highest dharmic merit can lie in self-sacrifice for the protection and welfare of a brāhmaṇa and the sacred order; renouncing even one’s life for such a cause is portrayed as leading to unsurpassed spiritual attainment.
Bhīṣma cites the example of the famed royal sage Sahasracitya, who gave up his cherished life for a brāhmaṇa’s sake, and as a result is said to have attained the highest worlds—an illustrative precedent within Bhīṣma’s dharma-instruction.