Shloka 5
Adhyāya 90 — Protection of Livelihoods, Brahmanical Subsistence Norms, and Royal Oversight (राष्ट्रवृत्ति-राष्ट्रगुप्ति-उपदेशः)
असंशयं निवर्तेत न चेद् वक्ष्यत्यतः परम् । पूर्व परोक्ष॑ं कर्तव्यमेतत् कौन्तेय शाश्वतम्
asaṁśayaṁ nivarteta na ced vakṣyaty ataḥ param | pūrva-parokṣaṁ kartavyam etat kaunteya śāśvatam ||
毗湿摩说道：“毫无疑问，他必会回转。若即便如此，他仍不再多言，国王便应如此对他说：‘尊者啊，愿您宽恕并略过我先前所犯的一切过失。’噢，昆蒂之子啊，以谦卑恭敬的行止使婆罗门欢喜，是君王永恒的职责。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must uphold rajadharma by using humility and conciliatory speech—especially toward brahmins—asking forgiveness for prior faults and seeking to restore goodwill; this is presented as a timeless duty.
Bhishma instructs Kaunteya (Yudhishthira) on how a king should respond when dealing with a brahmin who remains silent or displeased: first expect him to relent, but if he does not speak, the king should explicitly request pardon for earlier offences and thereby pacify him.