Shloka 40
मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169
जटाचीराजिनधर: स्वाध्यायपरम: शुचि: । विनीतो नियताहारो ब्रह्माण्यो वेदपारग:,तदनन्तर एक दिन कोई दूसरा ब्राह्मण उस गाँवमें आया जो जटा, वल्कल और मृगचर्म धारण किये हुए था। वह स्वाध्यायपरायण, पवित्र, विनयी, नियमके अनुकूल भोजन करनेवाला, ब्राह्मणभक्त तथा वेदोंका पारज्गत विद्वान् था
jaṭācīrājinadharaḥ svādhyāyaparamaḥ śuciḥ | vinīto niyatāhāro brahmāṇyo vedapāragaḥ ||
Bhishma said: “He wore matted locks, bark-garments, and a deer-skin. Devoted above all to sacred study, pure in conduct, humble, and restrained in his food, he was reverent toward Brahmins and had mastered the Vedas.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents an ethical portrait of an exemplary Brahmin/ascetic: purity, humility, regulated living, reverence for dharma and Brahmins, and foremost dedication to svādhyāya (Vedic study). External marks (jaṭā, bark-cloth, deer-skin) are paired with inner discipline and learning.
Bhishma describes the arrival/character of a Brahmin ascetic, emphasizing his appearance and virtues—his austere dress, commitment to sacred recitation and study, disciplined diet, and mastery of the Vedas—setting up the moral authority of the figure within the surrounding discourse.