Shloka 50
युधिछिर उवाच स्वाध्याय एपषां देवत्वं तप एषां सतामिव । मरणं मानुषो भाव: परिवादोडसतामिव,युधिष्ठिर बोले--वेदोंका स्वाध्याय ही ब्राह्मणोंमें देवत्व है, तप सत्पुरुषोंका-सा धर्म है, मरना मनुष्य-भाव है और निन्दा करना असत्पुरुषोंका-सा आचरण है
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | svādhyāya eṣāṃ devatvaṃ tapa eṣāṃ satām iva | maraṇaṃ mānuṣo bhāvaḥ parivādo ’satām iva ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “For these (Brahmins), the very divinity lies in the disciplined recitation and study of the Veda. For the virtuous, austerity is their defining way of life. To die is the condition of being human; but to indulge in slander is the conduct of the wicked.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts noble and ignoble traits: Vedic study is the sacred hallmark of Brahmins, austerity characterizes the virtuous, death is an unavoidable human condition, and slander is a defining behavior of the wicked—thus urging disciplined learning, self-restraint, and ethical speech.
Yudhiṣṭhira is speaking in a reflective, didactic mode, articulating standards of conduct and identity-markers for different moral types—praising svādhyāya and tapas while condemning parivāda (slander) as a sign of moral corruption.