Shloka 22
Yogakṣema, Purohita, and the Mucukunda–Vaiśravaṇa Dialogue (योगक्षेम–पुरोहित–मुचुकुन्दवैश्रवणसंवादः)
नित्योदकी ब्राह्मण:स्यान्नित्यशस्त्रश्न क्षत्रिय: । तयोर्हि सर्वमायत्तं यत् किज्चिज्जगतीगतम्
nityodakī brāhmaṇaḥ syān nityaśastraśna kṣatriyaḥ | tayor hi sarvam āyattaṃ yat kiñcij jagatīgatam ||
毗湿摩说：“婆罗门当恒常奉行水之仪轨——每日净身、供献与严谨守持；刹帝利当恒常勤于兵刃——习用并精通武艺。因为世间一切，实皆系于此二者。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that social and moral stability rests on each order fulfilling its defining discipline: the brāhmaṇa through continual purity, ritual, and sacred observance, and the kṣatriya through continual readiness and skill in protection and governance. When these two uphold their dharma, the world’s order is sustained.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he summarizes the foundational responsibilities of brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas, emphasizing their complementary roles in maintaining the world’s functioning.