Shloka 9
Purohita-Niyoga and the Brahma–Kṣatra Concord
Aila–Kaśyapa Saṃvāda
नैषां ब्रह्म च वर्धते नोत पुत्रा न गर्गरो मथ्यते नो यजन्ते । नैषां पुत्रा वेदमधीयते च यदा ब्रद्ा क्षत्रिया: संत्यजन्ति
Kāśyapa uvāca: naiṣāṃ brahma ca vardhate notputrā na gargarō mathyate no yajante | naiṣāṃ putrā vedam adhīyate ca yadā brāhmaṇān kṣatriyāḥ saṃtyajanti ||
迦叶波说道：“当刹帝利舍弃婆罗门时，那些人中的神圣学业便不再兴盛。他们的家族不繁衍；家中维生的日常礼俗亦告衰败——乳与酪不再搅拌——他们也无法举行祭祀。甚至他们的儿子也不能成就吠陀之学。”
कश्यप उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that a stable dharmic society depends on mutual support between rulers (kṣatriyas) and spiritual-teaching authorities (brāhmaṇas). When rulers withdraw protection and patronage from brāhmaṇas, Vedic learning, ritual life (yajña), and even household prosperity and lineage continuity decline.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, Kāśyapa explains to his listener the social and ethical consequences of kṣatriyas neglecting brāhmaṇas. He illustrates the breakdown through concrete signs: loss of Vedic study, inability to perform sacrifices, and disruption of ordinary household sustenance practices like churning curd.