Shloka 24
ब्राह्मण्यं बहुभिरवाप्यते तपोभि- स्तल्लब्ध्वा न रतिपरेण हेलितव्यम् । स्वाध्याये तपसि दमे च नित्ययुक्तः क्षेमार्थी कुशलपर: सदा यतस्व,बहुत समयतक बड़ी भारी तपस्या करनेसे ब्राह्मणका शरीर मिलता है। उसे पाकर विषयानुरागमें फँसकर बरबाद नहीं करना चाहिये। अतः यदि तुम अपना कल्याण चाहते हो तो कुशलप्रद कर्ममें संलग्न हो सदा स्वाध्याय, तपस्या और इन्द्रियसंयममें पूर्णतः तत्पर रहनेका प्रयत्न करो
brāhmaṇyaṃ bahubhir avāpyate tapobhis tallabdhvā na ratipareṇa helitavyam | svādhyāye tapasi dame ca nityayuktaḥ kṣemārthī kuśalaparaḥ sadā yatasva ||
Vyāsa said: “The state of brahminhood is attained only through many austerities. Having obtained it, one should not squander it by being enslaved to sensual delight. Therefore, if you seek your true welfare, strive always for what is wholesome: remain constantly devoted to self-study, austerity, and restraint of the senses.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Brahminhood (understood as a hard-won spiritual-ethical attainment) should not be squandered through attachment to sensual pleasure; one should pursue true welfare by steady commitment to svādhyāya (sacred study), tapas (austerity), and dama (sense-restraint).
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa delivers a moral exhortation: he warns against negligence born of pleasure-seeking and urges disciplined practice—study, austerity, and restraint—as the path to lasting well-being.