Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 79
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
ब्राह्मणस्तु कुलं हन्याद् ध्यानेनावेक्षितेन च । तस्मादेतत् त्रयं यत्नादुपसेवेत पण्डित:
brāhmaṇas tu kulaṃ hanyād dhyānenāvekṣitena ca | tasmād etat trayaṃ yatnād upaseveta paṇḍitaḥ ||
Sinabi ni Bhīṣma: Ang brāhmaṇa ay makapupuksa ng isang buong lahi sa pamamagitan lamang ng masidhing pagninilay at ng titig na matatag at tuwiran. Kaya ang marunong ay dapat magsikap na igalang at pakitunguhan nang maingat ang tatlong iyon.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that different forms of power—physical (like a serpent’s strike), martial (the kṣatriya’s force), and spiritual (the brāhmaṇa’s tapas expressed through resolve and gaze)—can be dangerous when provoked; therefore one should act wisely, with restraint and respectful prudence toward such potent agents.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma, he emphasizes the extraordinary efficacy attributed to a brāhmaṇa’s spiritual force: when angered, a brāhmaṇa can bring ruin upon an offender’s lineage through mental resolve and intent gaze, hence the counsel to be careful in one’s conduct toward such powerful figures (alongside other dangerous forces).