Shloka 2

ब्राह्मणपूजा-राजधर्मः | Royal Duty of Honoring Learned Brahmins

Devanagari script

विश्वामित्रेण च पुरा ब्राह्म॒ण्यं प्राप्तमित्युत । श्रूयते वदसे तच्च दुष्प्रापमिति सत्तम

Transliteration

Viśvāmitreṇa ca purā brāhmaṇyaṁ prāptam ity uta | śrūyate vadasi tac ca duṣprāpam iti sattama ||

Translation

ユディシュティラは言った。「古の世に、ヴィシュヴァーミトラが婆羅門の位を得たと聞きます。しかるにあなたは、その到達はきわめて困難だとも仰せになる。徳ある者の中の最上よ、これはいかに理解すべきでしょうか。」

Word by Word

विश्वामित्रेणby Viśvāmitra

चand

पुराformerly, in olden times

ब्राह्मण्यंBrahminhood, the status of a brāhmaṇa

प्राप्तम्obtained, attained

इतिthus (quotative)

उतindeed, also (emphatic particle)

श्रूयतेis heard, is said (is reported)

वदसेyou say

तत्that (thing/matter)

चand

दुष्प्रापम्hard to obtain

इतिthus

सत्तमO best of the good (O excellent man)

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Viśvāmitra

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames an ethical-philosophical problem: if tradition says Viśvāmitra attained brāhmaṇahood, yet sages also call it extremely difficult, then brahmin status is not merely a birth-label but a demanding ideal tied to rigorous qualification—discipline, truthfulness, and spiritual attainment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a revered interlocutor (“sattama”), citing the well-known tradition about Viśvāmitra’s rise to brāhmaṇahood, and asks for clarification because the speaker has also described such attainment as very hard. The verse functions as a prompt for a deeper explanation of brāhmaṇa-qualities and the means of attaining them.