Shloka 22
राजधर्मप्रश्नः — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry into Rājadharma (Śānti-parva 56)
अदण्ड्याश्रैव ते पुत्र विप्राश्न ददतां वर । भूतमेतत् परं लोके ब्राह्मणो नाम पाण्डव
adaṇḍyāś caiva te putra viprāś ca na dadatāṃ vara | bhūtam etat paraṃ loke brāhmaṇo nāma pāṇḍava ||
Sinabi ni Bhishma: “O anak, pinakamainam sa mga mapagkaloob, O Pandava, huwag mong parusahan kailanman ang mga Brahmin. Ito ang pinakamataas na tuntunin sa daigdig: ang Brahmin ay itinuturing na pinakapanguna sa mga nilalang.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king should exercise restraint and avoid punishing Brahmins; Bhishma frames this as a supreme social-ethical principle, emphasizing reverence for learning and the priestly class within rājadharma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on governance and dharma, Bhishma addresses Yudhiṣṭhira, praising him as ‘best among givers’ and laying down a rule about how a ruler should treat Brahmins.