Shloka 11
Bhīṣma’s Dream-Counsel and the Prasvāpa Astra (भीष्मस्वप्नदर्शनम् / प्रस्वापास्त्रोपदेशः)
क्षत्रियस्थ तु धर्मोड्यं यद् युद्धे भूगुनन्दन । स्वाध्यायो व्रतचर्याथ ब्राह्मणानां परं धनम्
kṣatriyasya tu dharmo ’yaṃ yad yuddhe bhṛgunandana | svādhyāyo vratacaryā ca brāhmaṇānāṃ paraṃ dhanam ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Ó descendente de Bhṛgu, para um kṣatriya este é, de fato, o dever apropriado: a firmeza na batalha. Mas para os brāhmaṇas, o tesouro supremo é o estudo disciplinado do Veda e a observância de votos nobres.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma distinguishes role-based dharma: a kṣatriya’s righteousness is expressed through courage and duty in battle, while a brāhmaṇa’s highest good lies in Vedic study (svādhyāya) and disciplined observance of vows (vrata).
In the Udyoga Parva’s counsel and deliberations before the great war, Bhīṣma instructs a Bhārgava interlocutor by clarifying what constitutes proper conduct for different social roles, emphasizing that dharma is contextual to one’s station and discipline.