Shloka 2
मृत्योर्ब्रह्मणा नियोजनम् — The Commissioning of Mṛtyu by Brahmā
सर्वान् वेदानधीयीत शुदश्रूषुर्ब्रह्मचर्यवान् । ऋचो यजूंसि सामानि न तेन न स वै द्विज:
sarvān vedān adhīyīta śuśrūṣur brahmacaryavān | ṛco yajūṃṣi sāmāni na tena na sa vai dvijaḥ ||
व्यास ने कहा—कोई मनुष्य समस्त वेदों का अध्ययन कर ले, गुरु की सेवा में रहे, ब्रह्मचर्य-व्रत का पालन करे, और ऋक्, यजुः, साम—इन मंत्रों में निपुण भी हो जाए; केवल इससे ही वह पूर्ण अर्थ में ‘द्विज’ नहीं हो जाता।
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Textual mastery of the Vedas, service to the teacher, and strict student-discipline are valuable, but they are not sufficient by themselves to constitute true dvija-hood; the verse implies that inner virtue and lived dharma must complete learning.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Vyāsa states a criterion about what does—and does not—make someone truly ‘twice-born,’ using Vedic study and brahmacarya as examples to show the limits of mere formal qualifications.