Shloka 2
ब्राह्मणपूजा-राजधर्मः | Royal Duty of Honoring Learned Brahmins
विश्वामित्रेण च पुरा ब्राह्म॒ण्यं प्राप्तमित्युत । श्रूयते वदसे तच्च दुष्प्रापमिति सत्तम
Viśvāmitreṇa ca purā brāhmaṇyaṁ prāptam ity uta | śrūyate vadasi tac ca duṣprāpam iti sattama ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Namun terdengar pula bahwa pada zaman dahulu Viśvāmitra memperoleh brahminhood. Tetapi engkau menyebutnya amat sukar dicapai, wahai yang terbaik di antara orang saleh. Bagaimana memahaminya?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical-philosophical problem: if tradition says Viśvāmitra attained brāhmaṇahood, yet sages also call it extremely difficult, then brahmin status is not merely a birth-label but a demanding ideal tied to rigorous qualification—discipline, truthfulness, and spiritual attainment.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a revered interlocutor (“sattama”), citing the well-known tradition about Viśvāmitra’s rise to brāhmaṇahood, and asks for clarification because the speaker has also described such attainment as very hard. The verse functions as a prompt for a deeper explanation of brāhmaṇa-qualities and the means of attaining them.