Shloka 47
यक्ष उवाच केनस्विच्छोत्रियो भवति केनस्विद् विन्दते महत् । केनस्विद् द्वितीयवान् भवति राजन् केन च बुद्धिमान्,यक्षने पूछा--राजन्! मनुष्य श्रोत्रिय किससे होता है? महत्पदको किसके द्वारा प्राप्त करता है? वह किसके द्वारा द्वितीयवान् होता है? और किससे बुद्धिमान होता है?
yakṣa uvāca: kena svic chrotriyo bhavati kena svid vindate mahat | kena svid dvitīyavān bhavati rājan kena ca buddhimān ||
The Yaksha said: “By what does a man become a true śrotriya (one grounded in sacred learning)? By what does he attain greatness? By what does he gain a ‘second’—a dependable companion or support—O king? And by what does he become wise?”
यक्ष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames four ethical-spiritual measures of a person: authentic learning (śrotriya), true greatness (mahat), reliable support or companionship (dvitīyavān), and wisdom (buddhimān). It prompts reflection that these are not mere labels but outcomes of right means—discipline, virtue, and discernment—tested through the Yaksha’s inquiry.
In the Yaksha–Yudhiṣṭhira dialogue of the Vana Parva, the Yaksha questions the king in a sequence of riddling, value-laden queries. This verse is one such set of questions, pressing Yudhiṣṭhira to define the causes of sacred learning, greatness, dependable companionship, and wisdom.