Shloka 14
Brāhmaṇa-vandana: Criteria for Veneration, Disciplined Speech, and Protective Kingship (अनुशासनपर्व, अध्याय ८)
यथा मम प्रियतमास्त्वत्तो विप्रा: कुरूत्तम | तेन सत्येन गच्छेयं लोकान् यत्र स शान्तनुः
yathā mama priyatamās tvatto viprāḥ kurūttama | tena satyena gaccheyaṁ lokān yatra sa śāntanuḥ kuruśreṣṭha |
بھیشم نے کہا—اے کوروؤں کے سردار! جیسے برہمن مجھے تم سے بھی زیادہ عزیز ہیں، اسی سچ کی قوت سے میں اُن مبارک جہانوں کو پہنچوں جہاں میرے والد شانتنو گئے ہیں۔
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse upholds the primacy of honoring Brāhmaṇas and the moral potency of satya (truth). Bhīṣma asserts that a truthful declaration aligned with dharma carries spiritual efficacy, capable of guiding one toward meritorious realms.
Bhīṣma addresses the Kuru king (Kurūttama/Kuruśreṣṭha) and makes a solemn statement: that Brāhmaṇas are dearest to him. He invokes this truth as a kind of ethical-spiritual force, expressing his aspiration to reach the same blessed worlds attained by his father Śāntanu.