Shloka 24
ययातेर्वानप्रस्थतपःस्वर्गारोहणम् | Yayāti’s Vānaprastha Austerities and Ascent to Heaven
देवयान्युवाच कथमाशीविषात् सर्पाज्ज्वलनात् सर्वतोमुखात् | दुराधर्षतरो विप्र इत्यात्थ पुरुषर्षभ,देवयानीने कहा--पुरुषप्रवर! ब्राह्मण विषधर सर्प और सब ओरसे प्रज्वलित होनेवाली अग्निसे भी दुर्धर्ष एवं भयंकर है, यह बात आपने कैसे कही?
Devayāny uvāca: katham āśīviṣāt sarpāj jvalanāt sarvatomukhāt | durādharṣataro vipra ity āttha puruṣarṣabha ||
Devayānī said: “O best of men, how did you come to say that a brāhmaṇa is even more formidable—harder to assail—than a venomous serpent and than a blazing fire that flares on every side?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s ethical idea that a brāhmaṇa’s power—rooted in knowledge, restraint, and especially speech (blessing/curse, counsel)—can be more consequential than physical dangers like poison or fire; therefore one should approach such authority with respect and caution.
Devayānī challenges a prior statement addressed to a ‘best of men,’ asking how he could claim that a brāhmaṇa is more formidable than a deadly snake or an all-consuming fire; it sets up an explanation about the special potency and social-religious authority attributed to brāhmaṇas.