Shloka 4
मृत्योर्ब्रह्मणा नियोजनम् — The Commissioning of Mṛtyu by Brahmā
इष्टीक्ष विविधा: प्राप्य क्रतूंश्वैवाप्तदक्षिणान् । प्राप्रोति नैव ब्राह्म॒ण्यमविधानात् कथंचन
iṣṭīkṣa vividhāḥ prāpya kratūṁś caivāptadakṣiṇān | prāpnoti naiva brāhmaṇyam avidhānāt kathaṁcana ||
ヴィヤーサは言った。「さまざまな祭式を得、定められた布施（dakṣiṇā）を備えた大いなるヴェーダ祭を成し遂げたとしても、正しい内なる修養—すなわち儀礼の遂行ではなく自己知（アートマンの知）に根ざす正法—が欠けているなら、いかなる意味でも真のブラーフマナ性には到達しない。」
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual accomplishment—even many sacrifices with generous dakṣiṇā—does not by itself confer true brāhmaṇa status; without the proper inner discipline and self-knowledge, brahminhood is not attained.
In a didactic passage of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa emphasizes a moral-spiritual criterion for brahminhood, contrasting external ritual success with the necessity of correct inner method (vidhi) rooted in knowledge.