Shloka 16
Adhyāya 39 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on attachment (saṅga) and relational restraint
भूमिरेतो निगिरति सर्पो बिलशयानिव । राजानं चाप्ययोद्धारं ब्राह्मणं चाप्रवासिनम्,जैसे साँप बिलमें रहनेवाले छोटे जीवोंको निगल जाता है, उसी प्रकार युद्ध न करनेवाले क्षत्रिय और विद्याके लिये प्रवास न करनेवाले ब्राह्मणको यह पृथ्वी निगल जाती है
bhūmir eto nigirati sarpo bilaśayān iva | rājānaṃ cāpy ayoddhāraṃ brāhmaṇaṃ cāpravāsinam ||
Soma said: “As a serpent swallows up small creatures that dwell in holes, so does the earth ‘swallow’ (i.e., bring to ruin and obscurity) a king who will not fight and a Brahmin who will not go forth in pursuit of learning. In other words, neglect of one’s proper duty—valor and protection for the Kshatriya, disciplined study through travel and training for the Brahmin—leads to decline, as surely as prey is consumed by a snake.”
सोम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches svadharma: a Kshatriya who refuses rightful battle and a Brahmin who refuses the disciplined pursuit of learning (including necessary travel/sojourn for study) both fall into decline. Neglect of one’s ordained responsibilities leads to being ‘consumed’ by worldly consequences.
Soma delivers a moral analogy: just as a snake devours small burrow-dwelling creatures, the earth metaphorically devours those who abandon their social and ethical duties—specifically, the non-fighting king and the non-studying (non-traveling for learning) Brahmin.