Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 42
Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)
ब्राह्मणा हि महाभागा देवानामपि देवता: । तेषु राजन् प्रवर्तेत पूजया विधिपूर्वकम्,राजन! महाभाग! ब्राह्मण देवताओंके भी देवता हैं; अतः उनका विधिपूर्वक पूजन- आदर-सत्कार करते हुए ही उनके साथ बर्ताव करे
brāhmaṇā hi mahābhāgā devānām api devatāḥ | teṣu rājan pravarteta pūjayā vidhipūrvakam ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “O Hari, ang mga Brāhmaṇa—tunay na mapalad at kagalang-galang—ay itinuturing na mga diyos maging ng mga diyos. Kaya, O namumuno, hayaang ang pakikitungo mo sa kanila ay gabayan ng wastong pagsamba ayon sa tuntunin (vidhi): igalang sila, paglingkuran sila, at makiharap sa kanila nang may nararapat na pagpipitagan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s dharma includes treating Brahmins with the highest reverence—approaching them with disciplined, rule-guided honor (pūjā done vidhipūrvakam), not casual or self-serving behavior.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on ethical governance and proper conduct. Here he emphasizes that Brahmins are to be regarded as supremely venerable, so the king should interact with them through formal respect, service, and prescribed etiquette.