Shloka 32
अन्नदान-प्रशंसा (Praise of the Gift of Food) | Annadāna-Praśaṃsā
तात! यदि ब्राह्मण क्षत्रियोंके द्वारा सम्मानित न हों तथा क्षत्रियमें सदा रहनेवाले निष्ठर कर्मको देखकर ब्राह्मण भी उनका परित्याग कर दें तो वे क्षत्रिय वेद
tāta! yadi brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyaiḥ na satkṛtāḥ syuḥ, tathā kṣatriye sadā vartamānaṃ niṣṭhuraṃ karma dṛṣṭvā brāhmaṇā api tān parityajeyuḥ, tadā te kṣatriyā vedāt, yajñāt, uttamalokāt, ājīvikāyāś ca bhraṣṭāḥ syuḥ. tasmin daśāyāṃ brāhmaṇānām āśrayaṃ gṛhṇatāṃ tvām ṛte teṣāṃ anyeṣāṃ kṣatriyāṇāṃ jīvitena kiṃ prayojanam? annaṃ te vartayiṣyāmi yathā dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ | rājanyo brāhmaṇān rājann purā paricacāra ha ||
毗湿摩说道：“孩子啊，若婆罗门不为刹帝利所尊奉，而婆罗门又因见刹帝利恒常行事之刚烈严酷而弃之不顾，那么那些刹帝利便将背离吠陀、背离祭祀、失落至上诸界，甚至连生计也将败坏。到了那般境地，除你之外——唯有你归依婆罗门——其余刹帝利的生命又有何意义？我将依永恒之法，以食粮供养你；因为在古时，哦大王，刹帝利本就侍奉婆罗门。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that royal power must be restrained and guided by reverence for Brahminical learning and ritual authority; when Kshatriyas fail to honor Brahmins (and Brahmins withdraw support), the Kshatriyas lose access to Vedic legitimacy, sacrificial merit, higher spiritual destinations, and even stable livelihood—so the ruler’s ethical survival depends on maintaining this reciprocal dharmic relationship.
In Anushasana Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhishma addresses a king (traditionally Yudhiṣṭhira) and warns about the consequences of alienating Brahmins through harsh conduct. He contrasts a degenerate present with an idealized past where Kshatriyas served Brahmins, and he frames the king’s refuge in Brahmins as the meaningful basis for rulership and social stability.