Shloka 50
Vṛddha-kanyā-carita and Balarāma’s Kurukṣetra Inquiry (वृद्धकन्या-चरितम् / कुरुक्षेत्रफल-प्रश्नः)
इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत शल्यपर्वके अन्तर्गत गदापव॑नें बलदेवजीकी तीर्थयात्राके प्रसंगमें सारस्वतोपाख्यानविषयक पचासवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
ṛṣayaś cakrire dharmaṃ yo ’dhītya anūcānaḥ sa no mahān | na bahu-varṣāvasthayā na keśa-pākāt na dhanena na ca bahubhir bhrātṛ-bandhubhiḥ kaścid mahān bhavati | ṛṣibhir asmākam etad eva dharma-niścitaṃ yat asmāsu yo vedān pravacituṃ śaknoti sa eva mahān iti || etac chrutvā vacas tasya munayas te vidhānataḥ |
وقد سنَّ الحكماء لنا هذه القاعدة من الدَّرْمَا: «إن العظيم حقًّا فينا هو من أتقن الفيدا واستطاع أن يعلّمها. فالعظمة لا تأتي من كثرة السنين، ولا من الشيب، ولا من المال، ولا من كثرة الإخوة والعشيرة.» فلما سمع الرِّشِيّون كلامه قبلوه على وجهه، وفق الترتيب والإجراء الصحيح.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True greatness is measured by learning and the capacity to transmit sacred knowledge—especially the ability to expound the Vedas—not by age, outward signs of seniority, wealth, or social backing through many relatives.
Within the Sarasvata-upākhyāna context, a normative statement about dharma is voiced and then heard and accepted by the assembled sages, indicating communal validation of an ethical standard grounded in learning and teaching.