Shloka 11
Rājapurohita-lakṣaṇa and Purūravas–Vāyu Saṃvāda
Varṇa, Sovereignty, and Abhaya-dāna
स्वमेव ब्राह्म॒णो भुड्क्ते स्वं वस्ते स्वं ददाति च । गुरुहिं सर्ववर्णानां ज्येष्ठ: श्रेष्ठक्ष वै द्विज:,ब्राह्णण अपना ही खाता, अपना ही पहनता और अपना ही देता है। निश्चय ही ब्राह्मण सब वर्णोंका गुरु, ज्येष्ठ और श्रेष्ठ है
Aila uvāca:
svam eva brāhmaṇo bhuṅkte svaṃ vaste svaṃ dadāti ca |
guruḥ hiṃ sarvavarṇānāṃ jyeṣṭhaḥ śreṣṭhaś ca vai dvijaḥ ||
Aila dijo: «El brāhmaṇa vive de lo que es suyo: come lo suyo, viste lo suyo y da de lo suyo. En verdad, el brāhmaṇa, el “dos veces nacido”, es el maestro de todos los órdenes y es tenido por el mayor y el más excelso entre ellos».
ऐल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts an ideal of brāhmaṇa conduct and status: self-reliance and integrity in livelihood (eating, wearing, and giving from what is one’s own), alongside the traditional claim that the brāhmaṇa, as a dvija, functions as the guru—senior and foremost—among all varṇas.
In Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, Aila speaks in a discourse on dharma and social order, articulating a normative view of the brāhmaṇa’s role: living without dependence or improper appropriation, and serving as a guiding authority for the wider society.