Shloka 4
मृत्योर्ब्रह्मणा नियोजनम् — The Commissioning of Mṛtyu by Brahmā
इष्टीक्ष विविधा: प्राप्य क्रतूंश्वैवाप्तदक्षिणान् । प्राप्रोति नैव ब्राह्म॒ण्यमविधानात् कथंचन
iṣṭīkṣa vividhāḥ prāpya kratūṁś caivāptadakṣiṇān | prāpnoti naiva brāhmaṇyam avidhānāt kathaṁcana ||
Vyāsa berkata: “Sekalipun seseorang menunaikan berbagai iṣṭi dan menyelesaikan kurban-kurban agung dengan daksina yang ditetapkan, ia sama sekali tidak meraih keadaan sebagai brāhmaṇa bila ‘tata-cara yang benar’ tiada—yakni disiplin batin yang berlandaskan pengetahuan diri, bukan semata-mata ritual.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual accomplishment—even many sacrifices with generous dakṣiṇā—does not by itself confer true brāhmaṇa status; without the proper inner discipline and self-knowledge, brahminhood is not attained.
In a didactic passage of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa emphasizes a moral-spiritual criterion for brahminhood, contrasting external ritual success with the necessity of correct inner method (vidhi) rooted in knowledge.