Shloka 107
यक्ष उवाच राजन् कुलेन वृत्तेन स्वाध्यायेन श्रुतेन वा । ब्राह्म॒ण्यं केन भवति प्रब्रूहीतत् सुनिश्चितम्,यक्षने पूछा--राजन्! कुल, आचार, स्वाध्याय और शास्त्रश्रवण--इनमेंसे किसके द्वारा ब्राह्मणत्व सिद्ध होता है? यह बात निश्चय करके बताओ
yakṣa uvāca rājān kulena vṛttena svādhyāyena śrutena vā | brāhmaṇyaṁ kena bhavati prabrūhīta niścitām ||
ಯಕ್ಷನು ಕೇಳಿದನು—ರಾಜನೇ! ಕುಲದಿಂದಲೋ, ನಡೆನುಡಿಯಿಂದಲೋ, ಸ್ವಾಧ್ಯಾಯದಿಂದಲೋ, ಅಥವಾ ಶ್ರವಣದಿಂದ ಪಡೆದ ವಿದ್ಯೆಯಿಂದಲೋ—ಇವುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾವುದರಿಂದ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ್ಯ ಸ್ಥಾಪಿತವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ? ನಿಶ್ಚಯವಾಗಿ ಹೇಳು।
यक्ष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma inquiry into the basis of ‘brāhmaṇya’—whether social identity is grounded in birth/lineage, ethical conduct, disciplined study, or received learning—pushing toward a value-based understanding of status rather than a merely hereditary one.
During the Yaksha’s interrogation in the forest, the Yaksha challenges the king with a decisive question about the true criterion for Brahminhood, testing his discernment of dharma and moral reasoning.