Shloka 8
Adhyāya 90 — Protection of Livelihoods, Brahmanical Subsistence Norms, and Royal Oversight (राष्ट्रवृत्ति-राष्ट्रगुप्ति-उपदेशः)
तस्यां प्रवर्तमानायां ये स्युस्तत्परिपन्थिन: । दस्यवस्तद्व धायेह ब्रह्मा क्षत्रमथासृजत्
tasyāṃ pravartamānāyāṃ ye syus tat-paripanthinaḥ | dasyavas tad-vadhāyeha brahmā kṣatram athāsṛjat ||
毗湿摩说道：“当吠陀之法正在延续——其学习、教授，以及依吠陀所命的祭祀——凡加以阻挠者，当视为盗贼。正为在此世约束并诛灭这等掠夺之徒，梵天才创造了刹帝利之阶。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the Kṣatriya’s raison d’être as the protection of Vedic learning and Veda-based sacrificial order; those who violently obstruct these are labeled 'dasyu' and are to be restrained—even killed—so that dharma and social stability are preserved.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, Bhīṣma explains to Yudhiṣṭhira why the warrior-royal class exists: Brahmā instituted kṣatra (royal power) to counter disruptive forces that hinder Vedic study, teaching, and ritual performance.