Shloka 33
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
अल्वापहि तपो जातु ब्राह्मणस्योपजायते । तद् दाव इव निर्दह्यात् प्राप्तो राजप्रतिग्रह:
alvāpi tapo jātu brāhmaṇasyopajāyate | tad dāva iva nirdahyāt prāpto rāja-pratigrahaḥ ||
毗湿摩言：婆罗门纵使积得些许苦行之力，一旦受王者之赐，亦如林野大火，尽被焚尽。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A brāhmaṇa’s spiritual merit gained through tapas is fragile; accepting royal gifts (rāja-pratigraha) can create dependence and compromise, thereby consuming that merit like a wildfire. The verse warns to protect purity of livelihood and independence.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and proper conduct. Here he cautions about the moral and spiritual danger for brāhmaṇas in receiving gifts from kings, using the image of a forest fire burning up accumulated austerity.