Shloka 48
गोमूल्यनिर्णयः — The Determination of Value through the Cow
Nahuṣa–Cyavana Episode
ज्यायांसमपि शीलेन विहीनं नैव पूजयेत् । अपि शूद्रं च धर्मज्ञं सदवृत्तमभिपूजयेत्
bhīṣma uvāca | jyāyāṁsam api śīlena vihīnaṁ naiva pūjayet | api śūdraṁ ca dharmajñaṁ sadavṛttam abhipūjayet |
Bhishma disse: Não se deve honrar nem mesmo alguém socialmente superior se lhe falta boa conduta. Mas até um Śūdra, se conhece o dharma e vive com retidão, deve ser honrado com respeito especial. O ensinamento coloca o caráter ético e o entendimento do dharma acima do status baseado no nascimento ao determinar quem merece reverência.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Honor should be based on character (śīla) and knowledge of dharma, not merely on birth or social rank. A high-born person lacking good conduct is not worthy of respect, while a Shudra who is dharma-knowing and well-behaved deserves special honor.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. Here he lays down a norm for social and ethical judgment: reverence is to be given according to virtue and righteous conduct rather than inherited status.