Shloka 53
पात्रलक्षण-परिक्षा (Pātra-Lakṣaṇa Parīkṣā) — Criteria for a Worthy Recipient
पितर: सर्वभूतानां नैतेभ्यो विद्यते परम् ब्राह्मणोंको जो हविष्य अर्पित किया जाता है उसे देवता ग्रहण करते हैं; क्योंकि ब्राह्मण समस्त प्राणियोंके पिता हैं। इनसे बढ़कर दूसरा कोई प्राणी नहीं है
bhīṣma uvāca | pitaraḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ naitebhyo vidyate param | brāhmaṇeṣu hi yad havir arpyate tad devā gṛhṇanti | yasmād brāhmaṇāḥ sarvaprāṇināṃ pitaraḥ | ebhyaḥ paraṃ na vidyate ||
Bhīṣma nói: “Bà-la-môn là cha của mọi loài hữu tình; không ai cao hơn họ. Lễ vật (havis) dâng lên cho Bà-la-môn được chư thiên thọ nhận, vì Bà-la-môn đứng như những người cha phổ quát của muôn loài. Vượt lên trên họ, không có hữu thể nào tối thượng hơn.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates the Brahmin as a supreme moral and ritual authority: honoring Brahmins through offerings is portrayed as indirectly honoring the gods, because Brahmins are described as the ‘fathers’ (protective progenitors/guardians) of all beings within the dharmic social and sacrificial order.
In the Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma—especially duties, gifts, and the fruits of honoring worthy recipients. Here he emphasizes the religious efficacy of offerings made to Brahmins and their exalted status in the ethical-ritual framework he is teaching.