Shloka 29
एकतो वा कुल कृत्स्नमात्मा वा कुलवर्धन: । न सम॑ सर्वमेवेति बुधानामेष निश्चय:,एक ओर सम्पूर्ण कुल हो और दूसरी ओर उस कुलकी वृद्धि करनेवाला शरीर हो तो उन दोनोंकी तुलना करनेपर वह सारा कुल उस शरीरके बराबर नहीं हो सकता; यह विद्वानोंका निश्चय है
ekato vā kula kṛtsnam ātmā vā kulavardhanaḥ | na samaṁ sarvam eveti budhānām eṣa niścayaḥ ||
The Brāhmaṇa said: “If, on one side, the entire clan stands, and on the other side stands the very person who increases and sustains that clan, then even the whole clan cannot be held equal to that one life. This is the settled conviction of the wise.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts an ethical hierarchy: the life/person who sustains and extends a lineage (kulavardhana) is of such pivotal value that even the collective weight of the clan is not considered equal to that single sustaining life—this is presented as the judgment of the wise.
A Brāhmaṇa speaker delivers a reflective maxim within the Adi Parva’s discourse, emphasizing how sages evaluate competing claims—collective family interest versus the indispensable individual who preserves and furthers the family line.