Shloka 5
Varuṇa’s Bestowal of the Gāṇḍīva and the Arming of Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna
Khāṇḍava Prelude
सर्वभूतेषु धर्मज्ञ मैत्रो ब्राह्मण उच्यते । सत्यो भवतु कल्याण एष वादो मनीषिणाम्,“धर्मज्ञ! ब्राह्मण समस्त प्राणियोंपर मैत्रीभाव रखनेवाला कहा जाता है। भद्र पुरुष! मनीषी पुरुषोंका यह कथन सत्य होना चाहिये
sarvabhūteṣu dharmajña maitraḥ brāhmaṇa ucyate | satyo bhavatu kalyāṇa eṣa vādo manīṣiṇām ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: «Oh conocedor del dharma, se dice que un brāhmaṇa es quien guarda benevolencia hacia todos los seres. Oh noble, que sea verdadera esta sentencia de los sabios.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse defines a key ethical marker of a brāhmaṇa: maitri—friendliness and goodwill toward all beings. It frames universal benevolence as integral to dharma and as a standard affirmed by the wise.
Vaiśaṃpāyana, as narrator, states a general maxim about dharma: that the brāhmaṇa is characterized by friendliness to all creatures, and he invokes the authority of the wise by wishing that this teaching be upheld as true.