Shloka 10
Adhyāya 39 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on attachment (saṅga) and relational restraint
एतत् पृथिव्याममृतमेतच्चक्षुरनुत्तमम् । यद् ब्राह्मणमुखात् शास्त्रमिह श्रुत्वा प्रवर्तते
etat pṛthivyām amṛtam etac cakṣur anuttamam | yad brāhmaṇamukhāt śāstram iha śrutvā pravartate ||
পৃথিবীতে এটাই পরম অমৃত, এটাই অতুলনীয় ‘দৃষ্টি’—যে ব্যক্তি ব্রাহ্মণের মুখ থেকে শাস্ত্রের উপদেশ শুনে এই জীবনেই তদনুসারে আচরণ করে।
शम्बर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the highest benefit in human life is not merely hearing sacred instruction, but hearing it from a qualified brāhmaṇa-teacher and then embodying it in conduct. Such lived adherence to śāstra is called the supreme ‘amṛta’ (life-giving, death-transcending good) and the supreme ‘eye’ (clear moral discernment).
Śambara is speaking and praises the transformative power of receiving śāstric guidance from a brāhmaṇa and acting upon it. The statement functions as a didactic affirmation within Anuśāsana Parva’s broader emphasis on instruction (anuśāsana), ethical discipline, and the authority of dharma-teaching.