Shloka 22
पात्रलक्षण-परिक्षा (Pātra-Lakṣaṇa Parīkṣā) — Criteria for a Worthy Recipient
पृथिव्युवाच ब्राह्मणानेव सेवेत पवित्र होतदुत्तमम् । ब्राह्मणान् सेवमानस्य रज: सर्व प्रणश्यति । अतो भूतिरत: कीर्तिरितो बुद्धि: प्रजायते
pṛthivy uvāca brāhmaṇān eva seveta pavitraṃ hy etad uttamam | brāhmaṇān sevamānasya rajaḥ sarvaṃ praṇaśyati | ato bhūtir ataḥ kīrtir ito buddhiḥ prajāyate ||
ಪೃಥಿವಿ ಹೇಳಿದಳು—ಭಗವನ್! ಇದಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಮನುಷ್ಯನು ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣರನ್ನೇ ಸೇವಿಸಬೇಕು; ಇದೇ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಪವಿತ್ರವೂ ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠವೂ ಆದ ಮಾರ್ಗ. ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣಸೇವೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಿರತನಾದವನ ಸರ್ವ ರಜೋಗುಣ ನಾಶವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಇದರಿಂದಲೇ ಐಶ್ವರ್ಯ, ಇದರಿಂದಲೇ ಕೀರ್ತಿ, ಇದರಿಂದಲೇ ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠ ಬುದ್ಧಿ ಜನಿಸುತ್ತದೆ.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that honoring and serving Brahmins—understood as representatives of learning, restraint, and dharma—is a supremely purifying act. Such service is said to reduce rajas (restless, desire-driven tendencies) and to yield three fruits: prosperity (bhūti), good fame (kīrti), and refined discernment (buddhi).
In Anuśāsana Parva’s didactic setting, a voice identified with the Earth (Pṛthivī) articulates a moral instruction: the recommended practice for a person seeking purity and uplift is service to Brahmins, presented as a cause of inner purification and outward success.