Shloka 3
मृत्योर्ब्रह्मणा नियोजनम् — The Commissioning of Mṛtyu by Brahmā
ज्ञातिवत् सर्वभूतानां सर्ववित् सर्ववेदवित् । नाकामो ग्रियते जातु न तेन न च वै द्विज:
vyāsa uvāca | jñātivat sarvabhūtānāṁ sarvavit sarvavedavit | nākāmo mriyate jātu na tena na ca vai dvijaḥ ||
Vyāsa dit : «Celui qui tient tous les êtres pour ses proches, qui connaît la vérité connaissable, qui comprend l’essence de tous les Veda et qui est libre du désir—celui-là ne meurt pas véritablement ; il est délivré à jamais du lien des naissances et des morts. Il n’est donc pas juste de dire qu’un tel homme n’est pas brāhmaṇa ; au contraire, lui seul est le brāhmaṇa véritable.»
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
True brāhmaṇahood is defined by inner qualities—universal kinship and compassion, knowledge of ultimate truth and the Vedas’ essence, and freedom from desire—leading to liberation beyond birth and death.
In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, Vyāsa states a criterion for who should be regarded as a genuine brāhmaṇa: not merely by birth or label, but by realized knowledge, compassion toward all beings, and desirelessness that culminates in mokṣa.