Shloka 11
Rājapurohita-lakṣaṇa and Purūravas–Vāyu Saṃvāda
Varṇa, Sovereignty, and Abhaya-dāna
स्वमेव ब्राह्म॒णो भुड्क्ते स्वं वस्ते स्वं ददाति च । गुरुहिं सर्ववर्णानां ज्येष्ठ: श्रेष्ठक्ष वै द्विज:
Aila uvāca:
svam eva brāhmaṇo bhuṅkte svaṃ vaste svaṃ dadāti ca |
guruḥ hiṃ sarvavarṇānāṃ jyeṣṭhaḥ śreṣṭhaś ca vai dvijaḥ ||
Aila sprach: „Der Brāhmaṇa lebt von dem, was sein eigen ist: Er isst sein Eigenes, trägt sein Eigenes und gibt sein Eigenes. Wahrlich, der zweimal Geborene, der Brāhmaṇa, ist der Lehrer aller Stände und gilt als der Älteste und Vornehmste unter ihnen.“
ऐल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts an ideal of brāhmaṇa conduct and status: self-reliance and integrity in livelihood (eating, wearing, and giving from what is one’s own), alongside the traditional claim that the brāhmaṇa, as a dvija, functions as the guru—senior and foremost—among all varṇas.
In Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, Aila speaks in a discourse on dharma and social order, articulating a normative view of the brāhmaṇa’s role: living without dependence or improper appropriation, and serving as a guiding authority for the wider society.