Shloka 1
राजा द्रुपदने (पुरोहितसे) कहा--पुरोहितजी! समस्त भूतोंमें प्राणधारी श्रेष्ठ हैं। प्राणधारियोंमें भी बुद्धिजीवी श्रेष्ठ हैं। बुद्धिजीवी प्राणियोंमें भी मनुष्य और मनुष्योंमें भी ब्राह्मण श्रेष्ठ माने गये हैं
rājā drupada uvāca—purohitajī! sarveṣu bhūteṣu prāṇinaḥ śreṣṭhāḥ; prāṇiṣu ca buddhijīvinaḥ śreṣṭhāḥ; buddhijīviṣu ca manuṣyāḥ, manuṣyeṣu ca brāhmaṇāḥ śreṣṭhā iti manyante.
King Drupada said, “Revered priest! Among all beings, those endowed with life are held to be superior. Among the living, those possessed of intellect are superior. Among the intelligent, human beings are foremost; and among humans, Brahmins are regarded as the highest.”
दुपद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a graded hierarchy—living beings over non-living, intelligent over merely living, humans over other intelligent creatures, and Brahmins over other humans—so as to emphasize the moral and advisory authority traditionally attributed to Brahminical learning and the priest’s role in guiding the king according to dharma.
At the start of the chapter, King Drupada addresses his royal priest respectfully and sets a premise about who is considered ‘foremost’ in the world. This functions as a rhetorical preface: by honoring the priest’s status, Drupada prepares to seek or validate counsel relevant to the political and ethical tensions of the Udyoga Parva.