Shloka 20
Karma, Preta-gati, and the Continuity of Phala
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Instruction
सर्प उवाच ब्राह्मण: को भवेद् राजन् वेद्यं कि च युधिष्ठिर । ब्रवीह्मतिमतिं त्वां हि वाक्यैरनुमिमीमहे,सर्प बोला--राजा युधिष्ठिर! यह बताओ कि ब्राह्मण कौन है और उसके लिये जाननेयोग्य तत्त्व क्या है? तुम्हारी बातें सुननेसे मुझे ऐसा अनुमान होता है कि तुम अतिशय बुद्धिमान् हो
sarpa uvāca brāhmaṇaḥ ko bhaved rājan vedyam ki ca yudhiṣṭhira | bravīhi matimantim tvāṃ hi vākyair anumīmāmahe ||
The serpent said: “O king Yudhiṣṭhira, who truly is a brāhmaṇa, and what is the essential truth that ought to be known? Speak. From your words I infer that you are a man of exceptional intelligence.”
सर्प उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-inquiry: brahminhood is not merely a label but a matter of defining characteristics, and alongside it stands the question of the highest knowable principle (vedyam). It sets up an ethical-philosophical test where true status is tied to knowledge, conduct, and discernment.
A serpent addresses King Yudhiṣṭhira and challenges him with two questions—who qualifies as a brāhmaṇa and what should be known as the essential truth—urging him to answer. The serpent also signals respect for Yudhiṣṭhira’s intellect, inferred from his manner of speaking.