Shloka 12
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
युधिछिर उवाच चातुर्वर्ण्यस्य सर्वस्य वर्तमाना: प्रतिग्रहे । केन विप्रा विशेषेण तारयन्ति तरन्ति च,युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--महामुने! जो ब्राह्मण चारों वर्णोमेंसे सभीके दान ग्रहण करते हैं, वे किस विशेष धर्मका पालन करनेसे दूसरोंको तारते और स्वयं भी तरते हैं
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca cāturvarṇyasya sarvasya vartamānāḥ pratigrahe | kena viprā viśeṣeṇa tārayanti taranti ca ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O great sage, when brāhmaṇas accept gifts from all the four social orders, by what particular discipline or principle do they, in a special way, uplift others and also cross over themselves?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry: if a brāhmaṇa lives by accepting gifts from all sections of society, what distinctive dharma ensures that this practice remains purifying—so that the brāhmaṇa benefits spiritually and also becomes a means of uplift for the donor and the wider community.
In the Vana Parva dialogue setting, Yudhiṣṭhira questions a great sage about the proper principle behind brāhmaṇas receiving gifts. He seeks clarification on the special discipline that makes such acceptance legitimate and spiritually efficacious rather than morally compromising.