Mahabharata · Chapter 13.256
ke pūjyāḥ ke namaskāryā kathaṃ varteta keṣu ca /
kimācāraḥ kīdṛśeṣu pitāmaha na riṣyate //
bhīṣma uvāca /
brāhmaṇānāṃ paribhavaḥ sādayedapi devatāḥ /
brāhmaṇāṃstu namaskṛtya yudhiṣṭhira na riṣyate //
te pūjyāste namaskāryā vartethāsteṣu putravat /
te hi lokānimānsarvāndhārayanti manīṣiṇaḥ //
brāhmaṇāḥ sarvalokānāṃ mahānto dharmasetavaḥ //
dhanatyāgābhirāmāsci vāksaṅgamadhurāśca ye //
ramaṇīyāśca bhūtānāṃ niyamena dhṛtavratāḥ /
praṇetāraśca kośānāṃ śāstrāṇāṃ ca yaśasvinaḥ //
tapo yeṣāṃ dhanaṃ nityaṃ vākcaiva vipulaṃ balam /
prasavāścaiva dharmāṇāṃ dharmajñāḥ sūkṣmadarśinaḥ //
dharmakāmāḥ sthitā dharme sukṛtairdharmasevataḥ /
yānsamāśritya tiṣṭhanti prajāḥ sarvāścaturvidhāḥ //
panthānaḥ sarvanetāro yajñavāhāḥ sanātanāḥ /
pitṛpaitāmahīṃ gurvīmudvahanti dhuraṃ sadā //
dhuri ye nāvasīdanti viṣame saddhayā iva /
pitṛdevātithimukhā havyakavyāgrabhojinaḥ //
bhojanādeva lokāṃstrīṃstrāyante mahato bhayāt /
dīpaḥ sarvasya lokasya cakṣuścakṣuṣmatāmapi //
sarvaśilpādinidhayo nipuṇāḥ sūkṣmadarśinaḥ /
gatijñāḥ sarvabhūtānāmadhyātmagaticintakāḥ //
ādimadhyāvasānānāṃ jñātāraśchinnasaṃśayāḥ /
parāvaraviśeṣajñā gantāraḥ paramāṃ gatim //
vimuktā dhūtapāpmāno nirdvandvā niṣparigrahāḥ /
mānārhā mānitā nityaṃ jñānavidbhirmahātmabhiḥ //
candane malapaṅke ca bhojane'bhojane samāḥ /
samaṃ yeṣāṃ dukūlaṃ ca śāṇakṣaumājināni ca //
tiṣṭheyurapyabhuñjānā bahūni divasānyapi /
śoṣayeyuśca gātrāṇi svādhyāyaiḥ saṃyatendriyāḥ //
adaivaṃ daivataṃ kuryurdaivataṃ cāpyadaivatam /
lokānanyānsṛjeyuste lokapālāṃśca kopitāḥ //
apeyaḥ sāgaro yeṣāmapi sāpānmahātmanām /
yeṣāṃ kopāgniradyāpi daṇḍake nopaśāmyati //
devānāmapi ye devāḥ kāraṇaṃ kāraṇasya ca /
pramāmasya pramāṇaṃ ca tasmānnābhibhavedbudhaḥ //
teṣāṃ vṛddhāśca bālāśca sarve sanmārgadarśinaḥ /
tapovidyāviśeṣāttu mānayanti parasparam //
avidvānbrāhmaṇo devaḥ pātraṃ vai pāvanaṃ mahat /
vidvānbhūyastaro devaḥ pūrṇasāgarasannibhaḥ //
avidvāṃścaiva vidvāṃśca brāhmaṇo daivataṃ mahat /
praṇītaścāpraṇītaśca yathā'gnirdaivataṃ mahat //
śmaśāne hyapi tejasvī pāvako naiva duṣyati /
haviryajñe ca vidhivadbhūya evābhiśobhate //
evaṃ yadyapyaniṣṭeṣu vartate sarvakarmasu /
sarvathā brāhmaṇo mānyo daivataṃ viddhi tatparam //
Original text: Mahābhārata (southern recension) · Edition: Śrīman Mahābhāratam, ed. T. R. Krishnacharya and T. R. Vyasacharya, Nirnaya Sagar Press, Bombay 1906–1910; e-text by SARIT (Shrinivasa Varakhedi and others) · SARIT: Search and Retrieval of Indic Texts · SARIT (e-text) via Internet Archive · CC BY-SA 3.0