Shloka 21
Rājā–Rāja-Śabda-Prabhavaḥ — The Origin and Rationale of Kingship and Daṇḍanīti
विप्लुते नरलोके वै ब्रह्म चैव ननाश ह । नाशाच्च ब्रह्मणो राजन् धर्मो नाशमथागमत्
bhīṣma uvāca | viplute naraloke vai brahma caiva nanāśa ha | nāśāc ca brahmaṇo rājan dharmo nāśam athāgamat |
毗湿摩说道：当混乱淹没了人间，神圣的吠陀学识（brahman）本身也随之灭失。大王啊，随着这“梵”（吠陀之知）的丧失，达摩亦走向败坏。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma links societal upheaval to the collapse of Vedic learning, and from that collapse to the ruin of dharma: when the sources of right understanding and disciplined practice disappear, ethical order in society cannot be sustained.
In the Shanti Parva dialogue, Bhishma instructs King Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and governance. Here he explains a causal chain: human society falls into disorder, Vedic study and sacred knowledge decline, and consequently dharma itself deteriorates.