Shloka 28
वायोर्वा सदृशं किंचिद् ब्रूहि त्वं ब्राह्मणोत्तमम् । अपां वै सदृशं वद्लेः सूर्यस्य नभसो5पि वा,अथवा यदि कोई जल, अग्नि, सूर्य, वायु एवं आकाशके समान श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मण हो तो उसको भी बताइये
Arjuna uvāca | vāyor vā sadṛśaṃ kiñcid brūhi tvaṃ brāhmaṇottamam | apāṃ vai sadṛśaṃ vaktre sūryasya nabhaso 'pi vā | athavā yadi kaścid jalāgni-sūrya-vāyu-ākāśa-samo 'pi śreṣṭho brāhmaṇaḥ, tam api me vada ||
Arjuna sprach: „O Bester der Brahmanen, nenne mir jemanden, dessen Wesen dem Wind gleicht. Oder sprich von einem, der den Wassern vergleichbar ist; oder der Sonne; oder gar dem Himmel. Ja, wenn es einen vortrefflichen Brahmanen gibt, der an Vorzüglichkeit und Charakter Wasser, Feuer, Sonne, Wind und Raum gleicht, so weise ihn mir ebenfalls.“
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical excellence through natural metaphors: like wind (unattached and moving), water (purifying and sustaining), fire (austere and transformative), sun (illumining and life-giving), and space/sky (vast, impartial, accommodating). Arjuna seeks a concrete exemplar—an outstanding Brahmin whose character embodies these virtues—so that dharma can be understood not only as theory but as lived conduct.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused setting, Arjuna addresses a revered Brahmin teacher and asks him to identify persons comparable to elemental forces. The request signals Arjuna’s desire to learn by example—who, in human form, manifests the highest qualities associated with the elements.