Shloka 14
पात्रलक्षण-परिक्षा (Pātra-Lakṣaṇa Parīkṣā) — Criteria for a Worthy Recipient
ये चैनमनुवर्तन्ते ते न यान्ति पराभवम् | नते प्रेत्य विनश्यन्ति गच्छन्ति न पराभवम्
ye cainam anuvartante te na yānti parābhavam | na te pretya vinaśyanti gacchanti na parābhavam ||
Disse Bhishma: Aqueles que seguem e servem os brâmanes não caem na derrota. Mesmo após a morte não perecem nem declinam; não chegam à desonra, mas prosseguem sem queda—amparados pelo mérito nascido da reverência ao dharma e aos seus guardiões.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Reverent adherence to Brahmins—seen as guardians and transmitters of dharma—protects one from worldly defeat and from post-mortem decline; honouring dharma’s custodians is presented as a source of lasting welfare.
In the Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and right conduct. Here he emphasizes the auspicious results of following Brahmins: freedom from disgrace in life and stability of one’s spiritual destiny after death.