Shloka 18

Devanagari script

शौचेन सतत युक्त: सदाचारसमन्वित: । सानुक्रोशश्व भूतेषु तद्‌ द्विजातिषु लक्षणम्‌,सर्वदा शौच और सदाचारका पालन करे और समस्त प्राणियोंपर दयाभाव बनाये रकक्‍्खे; यह ब्राह्मणका प्रधान लक्षण है

Transliteration

śaucena satata-yuktaḥ sadācāra-samanvitaḥ | sānukrośaś ca bhūteṣu tad dvijātiṣu lakṣaṇam ||

Translation

എപ്പോഴും ശൗചത്തിൽ യുക്തനായി, സദാചാരസമ്പന്നനായി, എല്ലാ ജീവികളോടും കരുണ പുലർത്തുക—ഇതാണ് ദ്വിജന്റെ, പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് ബ്രാഹ്മണന്റെ, ലക്ഷണം.

Word by Word

शौचेनby purity/cleanliness

सततम्always, constantly

युक्तःjoined/engaged (in), devoted

सदाचार-समन्वितःendowed with good conduct

स-अनुक्रोशःcompassionate

चand

भूतेषुamong beings/creatures

तत्that

द्विजातिषुamong the twice-born (esp. Brahmins etc.)

लक्षणम्mark, characteristic

Speaker

भरद्वाज उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bharadvāja

dvijāti (twice-born classes)

brāhmaṇa (implied as the primary referent)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse defines the hallmark of the dvija—especially the brāhmaṇa—as constant commitment to purity (śauca), steadfast good conduct (sadācāra), and compassion toward all beings; ethical character, not mere birth, is foregrounded as the true sign.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s dharma-discourse setting, Bharadvāja states a normative criterion for the twice-born: continual purity, disciplined conduct, and universal compassion, presenting these as the recognized ‘lakṣaṇa’ (defining mark) of the class.