13.033
Praise of the brāhmaṇa.
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
O grandsire, what is the most important of all the king's actions? By performing what action does the king attain both worlds? (13-33-1)
Bhishma said.
O Bhārata, this is the highest duty of a king who has been anointed: one who desires the greatest happiness should ensure the performance of Brāhmaṇas. One should always honor learned Brāhmaṇas and elders. (13-33-2)
He should honor the townsmen, country people, brāhmaṇas, and the well-learned with conciliation, gifts of enjoyments, and salutations in this manner. (13-33-3)
He should always consider this as the foremost duty of a king; just as he protects himself and his sons, so should he protect these (subjects). (13-33-4)
And among these, those who are the most venerable should be firmly honored in return. In those peaceful ones, that kingdom indeed entirely prospers. (13-33-5)
They are worthy of worship, salutation, and protection, just as fathers; in them alone is the existence of the world, just as all beings exist in Indra. (13-33-6)
The truly powerful and fierce, when angered, might completely destroy by magical rites, by various means, or even by their own energy. (13-33-7)
I do not see the end of these, nor are any directions open; angrily they look on, like flames of fire in a forest fire. (13-33-8)
Among them, bold qualities are indeed found in great measure. Some are like wells covered with grass, while others are pure like the sky. (13-33-9)
Some act forcibly, others are as soft as cotton; among these, some are very deceitful, and likewise, others are extremely austere. (13-33-10)
Some others engaged in agriculture and cow-protection, others in alms; some others were thieves, others liars, and likewise others were actors and dancers. (13-33-11)
O best of the Bharatas, Brāhmaṇas are seen in all actions, among the tranquil and among others, and also engaged in various practices. (13-33-12)
One should always recite the deeds of those good people who are engaged in various actions, who subsist by many kinds of work, and who possess knowledge of dharma. (13-33-13)
O king, the brāhmaṇas, who are greatly fortunate, are indeed the priests of the ancestors, the deities, men, serpents, and rākṣasas. (13-33-14)
These twice-born cannot be conquered by gods, ancestors, gandharvas, rākṣasas, asuras, or piśācas. (13-33-15)
They would make the undivine into the divine, and the divine also into the undivine. Whoever they desire, he becomes king; whoever they hate, he is defeated. (13-33-16)
O king, those unwise people who slander brāhmaṇas, who are skilled in blame and praise, and who distinguish between fame and infamy, the twice-born always become very angry with their enemies. (13-33-17)
A man whom the Brāhmaṇas praise prospers; but he who is reviled by the Brāhmaṇas should be defeated immediately. (13-33-18)
The Śakas, Yavanas, and Kāmbojas—those Kṣatriya castes—have become outcastes due to the absence of association with Brāhmaṇas. (13-33-19)
The Dravidians, Kalingas, Pulindas, and also the Ushinaras, as well as the Kaulas, Sarpas, and Mahishakas—these are all Kshatriya lineages. (13-33-20)
Because of the absence of brāhmaṇas, the state of being a śūdra has come upon them; O best of the victorious, it is better to be defeated by them than to gain victory over them. (13-33-21)
But if someone were to kill all this world and a brāhmaṇa, that is not equal; the killing of a brāhmaṇa is considered a great fault, thus say the supreme sages. (13-33-22)
One should never listen to slander of the twice-born in any way; instead, one should either sit silently with face down or get up and leave. (13-33-23)
There is no one born, nor will there ever be anyone born on this earth, who could live happily by opposing a brāhmaṇa. (13-33-24)
The wind cannot be grasped with the fist; the moon cannot be touched with the hand; the earth cannot be borne on the head; brāhmaṇas cannot be conquered on the earth. (13-33-25)
