Shloka 46
कर्णेन व्यूहविधानम् — Karṇa’s Battle Formation and the Pāṇḍava Counter-Plan
Adhyāya 31
याजनाध्यापनैरविंप्रा विशुद्धैश्व प्रतिग्रहै: । लोकस्यानुग्रहार्थाय स्थापिता ब्राह्मणा भुवि,इनमें क्षत्रिय-जातिके लोग सबकी रक्षा करनेवाले, सबसे कर लेनेवाले और दान देनेवाले बताये गये हैं। ब्राह्मण यज्ञ कराने, वेद पढ़ाने और विशुद्ध दान ग्रहण करनेके द्वारा जीवन-निर्वाह करते हुए सम्पूर्ण जगतपर अनुग्रह करनेके लिये इस भूतलपर ब्रह्माजीके द्वारा स्थापित किये गये हैं
yājanādhyāpanair viprā viśuddhaiś ca pratigrahaiḥ | lokasyānugrahārthāya sthāpitā brāhmaṇā bhuvi ||
Śalya said: “Brahmins sustain themselves by officiating at sacrifices, by teaching the Veda, and by accepting only pure and blameless gifts. For the welfare of the whole world, they were established upon the earth so that they might extend grace and guidance to society.”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse outlines the Brahmin’s dharma: to serve society through sacrifice-officiation, Vedic teaching, and ethically pure acceptance of gifts, with the aim of benefiting the world rather than personal gain.
Śalya, speaking amid the war-time discourse of Karṇa Parva, invokes the traditional social-ethical framework (varna duties) to emphasize how different orders are meant to uphold society—here highlighting the Brahmins’ role as benefactors through ritual and instruction.