Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 28
Baka Dālbhya at Avakīrṇa-tīrtha: Rāṣṭra-kṣaya and Release through Prasāda (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 40)
स तु वत्रे वरं राजन् स्यामहं ब्राह्मणस्त्विति
sa tu vavre varaṃ rājan syāham brāhmaṇas tv iti
غير أنّه اختار نعمةً، أيها الملك: «لأصيرنَّ برهمنًا (brāhmaṇa).» وفي خضمّ شؤون المُلك والحرب، تُشير هذه المسألة إلى انعطافٍ مقصود نحو المنزلة والانضباط المرتبطين بالعلم المقدّس والكفّ، مُلمِّحةً إلى تفضيل السلطان الروحي على القوّة الدنيوية.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a value-choice: seeking the identity and discipline of a brāhmaṇa—associated with learning, restraint, and sacred duty—over other possible boons tied to power or pleasure, suggesting that ethical-spiritual orientation can be a deliberate aspiration.
A character, as reported by Vaiśaṃpāyana to the king, is described as choosing a boon; the boon requested is to become a brāhmaṇa, indicating a pivotal preference for a religious-ethical role within the story’s broader royal and war-time setting.
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