Shloka 396
न च स्यात् पतितो राजन् पंक्तिपावन एव सः | राजन! यदि कोई वेदज्ञ ब्राह्मण सब प्रकारके पंक्तिदोषोंसे रहित है और पतित नहीं हुआ है तो वह पंक्तिपावन ही है
na ca syāt patito rājan paṅktipāvana eva saḥ |
न च स्यात् पतितो राजन्; पङ्क्तिपावन एव सः। यद्य् वेदविद् ब्राह्मणः सर्वैः पङ्क्तिदोषैर्विमुक्तः स्यात्, न च पतितः, स पङ्क्तिपावन इति एव मन्तव्यः।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A learned brāhmaṇa who is not ‘patita’ and is free from faults that contaminate communal dining is considered ‘paṅktipāvana’—someone whose presence sanctifies the group—highlighting that moral and ritual integrity determine social-ritual eligibility.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs King Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and social-religious norms; here he clarifies who counts as a purifier of the dining line and should not be labeled fallen.