Shloka 3
Ajagara-vrata (The ‘Python’ Discipline): Prahrāda Questions a Wandering Sage
ब्रह्मवर्चसहीनस्य स्वाध्यायोपरतस्य च । गोत्रमात्रविदो राजा निवासं समपृच्छत,तब ब्राह्मणोचित तेजसे हीन, स्वाध्यायसे उपरत, केवल गोत्र अथवा जातिका नाम जाननेवाले उस ब्राह्मणसे राजाने उसका निवासस्थान पूछा
brahmavarcasahīnasya svādhyāyoparatasya ca | gotramātravido rājā nivāsaṃ samapṛcchata ||
അപ്പോൾ ബ്രാഹ്മണോചിതമായ തേജസ്സില്ലാത്ത, സ്വാധ്യായം ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച, ഗോത്രനാമം മാത്രമേ അറിയുന്നുള്ളൂ എന്ന നിലയിലുള്ള ആ ബ്രാഹ്മണനോട് രാജാവ് അവന്റെ വാസസ്ഥലം ചോദിച്ചു.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts genuine Brahminical excellence—marked by svādhyāya and brahma-varcasa—with mere nominal identity based on gotra. It implies that ethical and spiritual authority depends on disciplined learning and conduct, not on lineage-name alone.
In Bhīṣma’s discourse, a king encounters (or is dealing with) a Brahmin who has abandoned Vedic study and lacks the customary spiritual lustre; the king then asks him where he resides, setting up a broader reflection on true merit and the decline of dharmic standards.