Mahabharata — Udyoga Parva, Shloka 2
Drupada’s Instruction to the Purohita for the Kaurava Embassy (द्रुपदोपदेशः दूतप्रेषणम्)
द्विजेषु वैद्या: श्रेयांसो वैद्येषु कृतबुद्धयः । कृतबुद्धिषु कर्तार: कर्तषु ब्रह्मवादिन: २ ।।
dvijeṣu vaidyāḥ śreyāṃso vaidyeṣu kṛtabuddhayaḥ | kṛtabuddhiṣu kartāraḥ kartṛṣu brahmavādinaḥ || 2 ||
وأعلن دْرُوبَدَا مراتب الفضل فقال: «في أهل الولادتين، العلماء حقًّا أرفع. وفي العلماء، من استقرّ فهمه على العقيدة القويمة أرفع. وفي أصحاب الفهم المستقرّ، من يعمل بمقتضاه أرفع. وفي أولئك العاملين، العارفون ببراهْمَن والمبيّنون له هم الأعلى منزلة.»
दुपद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Excellence is graded from birth-status to learning, from learning to settled discernment, from discernment to consistent action, and finally to realization/teaching of Brahman—implying that lived dharma and spiritual insight surpass mere scholarship or social identity.
In Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Drupada speaks in a reflective, evaluative tone, emphasizing what kinds of people are truly ‘श्रेष्ठ’ (superior), thereby framing counsel and decision-making around dharma, competence, and spiritual maturity rather than rank alone.