Shloka 30
मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169
ब्राह्मणो मध्यदेशीय: कश्रिद् वै ब्रह्मवर्जित: । ग्रामं वृद्धियुतं वीक्ष्य प्राविशद् भैक्ष्यकांक्षया
brāhmaṇo madhyadeśīyaḥ kaścid vai brahma-varjitaḥ | grāmaṁ vṛddhi-yutaṁ vīkṣya prāviśad bhaikṣya-kāṅkṣayā ||
ভীষ্ম বললেন—মধ্যদেশের এক ব্রাহ্মণ ছিল, যে বেদবিদ্যা থেকে সম্পূর্ণ বঞ্চিত। এক সমৃদ্ধ গ্রাম দেখে ভিক্ষার আশায় সে সেখানে প্রবেশ করল।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse introduces a case meant to test ethical definitions of status and virtue: a person called a Brahmin by birth seeks alms despite lacking Vedic learning, prompting reflection on whether true worth rests on lineage, learning (brahma), or right conduct (ācāra).
Bhishma begins a story: an unlearned Brahmin from the Madhyadeśa notices a prosperous village and goes into it to beg for alms, setting the stage for an ensuing encounter or lesson about dharma and social-religious identity.