Shloka 8

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणप्रमुखं सौम्यं न मे5त्रास्ति विचारणा

Transliteration

brāhmaṇa-pramukhaṃ saumyaṃ na me ’trāsti vicāraṇā | brāhmaṇeṣu śānta-bhāvasya prādhānyam | etad-viṣaye mama na vicāraṇā | brāhmaṇa-pūjanād āyuḥ kīrtiḥ yaśaḥ balaṃ ca prāpyate | sarve lokāḥ lokeśvarāś ca brāhmaṇa-pūjakāḥ santi ||

Translation

Vāyu sprach: „O Sanftmütiger, der Brahmane steht an erster Stelle; daran hege ich keinen Zweifel. Unter den Brahmanen überwiegt eine friedvolle Gesinnung. Darum brauche ich über diese Sache nicht weiter zu erwägen. Wer Brahmanen ehrt, erlangt langes Leben, Ansehen, Ruhm und Kraft. Wahrlich: Alle Welten — ja selbst die Herren der Welten — sind Verehrer der Brahmanen.“

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मण-प्रमुखम्: having Brahmins as foremost
• ब्राह्मण-प्रमुखम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्राह्मण + प्रमुख
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• सौम्यम्: gentle, auspicious
• सौम्यम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सौम्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• मे: of me / my
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• अत्र: here, in this matter
• अत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र

• अस्ति: is/exists
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Present, 3rd, Singular

• विचारणा: deliberation, consideration
• विचारणा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: विचारणा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• वायुदेव (Vāyu)
• ब्राह्मण (Brahmins)
• लोक (worlds/realms)
• लोकेश्वर (lords of the worlds)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that Brahmins are to be regarded as foremost due to their predominance of peacefulness and restraint, and that honoring them is a dharmic act yielding tangible fruits—longevity, renown, fame, and strength—so universally valued that even cosmic rulers are described as their worshippers.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu is speaking to a ‘gentle one’ (saumya), asserting decisively the primacy of Brahmins and emphasizing the ethical and karmic benefits of reverencing them, framing this as an established principle rather than a point requiring debate.