Shloka 13
अहेरिव गणादू् भीत: सौहित्यान्नरकादिव । कुणपादिव च स्त्रीभ्यस्तं देवा ब्राह्मणं विदु:,जो जनसमुदायको सर्प-सा समझकर उसके निकट जानेसे डरता है, स्वादिष्ट भोजनजनित तृप्तिको नरक-सा मानकर उससे दूर रहता है और स्त्रियोंको मुर्दोके समान समझकर उनकी ओरसे विरक्त होता है, उसे देवता ब्रह्मज्ञानी मानते हैं
aher iva gaṇād bhītaḥ sauhityān narakād iva | kuṇapād iva ca strībhyaḥ taṃ devā brāhmaṇaṃ viduḥ ||
Vyāsa said: The gods recognize as a true brāhmaṇa (a knower of Brahman) the person who fears a crowd as one would fear a serpent, who keeps away from the satisfaction born of rich and tasty foods as from hell itself, and who turns away from women as from a corpse—thus living in restraint and detachment.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises radical restraint: avoiding the dangers of social entanglement (crowds), resisting sensual gratification (rich food and satiety), and cultivating dispassion toward sexual attraction—presented as marks of an ideal brāhmaṇa, i.e., one oriented to Brahman rather than pleasure.
In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, Vyāsa states a criterion by which the gods themselves ‘recognize’ a true brāhmaṇa: a person whose conduct shows fear of worldly snares and strong renunciation, expressed through vivid similes (snake, hell, corpse).