Shloka 43
आपद्धर्मे वैश्यवृत्तिः, विक्रय-निषेधाः, तथा ब्रह्म-क्षत्र-सम्बन्धः
Emergency Livelihood, Prohibited Trade, and Brahman–Kshatra Regulation
एवं विप्रो5नधीयानो राजा यश्ष न रक्षिता । मेघो न वर्षते यश्न सर्वथा ते निरर्थका:
evaṁ vipro ’nadhīyāno rājā yaś ca na rakṣitā | megho na varṣate yaś ca sarvathā te nirarthakāḥ ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Um brāhmana que não estuda, um rei que não protege e uma nuvem que não chove — todos eles são, em todos os sentidos, fúteis e sem propósito.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Each social role is defined by its essential function: the brāhmaṇa by study and transmission of sacred knowledge, the king by protection and governance, and the cloud by giving rain. When the defining duty is neglected, the role becomes ethically and practically meaningless.
In the Śānti Parva discourse on dharma, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira using a compact analogy: he lists three figures whose value lies in what they provide—learning, protection, and rain—and declares them futile when they fail to perform their respective duties.