Shloka 21
Karma, Preta-gati, and the Continuity of Phala
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Instruction
युधिछिर उवाच सत्यं दानं क्षमा शीलमानृशंस्यं तपो घृणा । दृश्यन्ते यत्र नागेन्द्र स ब्राह्मण इति स्मृत:,युधिष्ठिरने कहा--नागराज! जिसमें सत्य, दान, क्षमा, सुशीलता, क्रूरताका अभाव, तपस्या और दया--से सद्गुण दिखायी देते हों, वही ब्राह्मण कहा गया है
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca satyaṃ dānaṃ kṣamā śīlam ānṛśaṃsyaṃ tapo ghṛṇā | dṛśyante yatra nāgendra sa brāhmaṇa iti smṛtaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O lord of serpents, the one in whom truthfulness, generosity, forbearance, good conduct, freedom from cruelty, austerity, and compassion are seen—such a person is remembered as a brāhmaṇa.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Brāhmaṇahood is characterized by observable ethical virtues—truth, generosity, forgiveness, good conduct, non-cruelty, austerity, and compassion—rather than by mere external markers.
In dialogue with the serpent-lord (Nāgendra), Yudhiṣṭhira states a dharma-based criterion for recognizing a brāhmaṇa, listing the inner qualities that define such a person.