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 ||
पृथ्वी म्हणाली—भगवन्! यासाठी मनुष्याने ब्राह्मणांचीच सेवा करावी; हेच सर्वात पवित्र व उत्तम कर्म आहे. ब्राह्मणसेवा करणाऱ्याचा सर्व रजोगुण नष्ट होतो. याच्यापासून ऐश्वर्य, याच्यापासून कीर्ती आणि याच्यापासून उत्तम बुद्धी उत्पन्न होते.
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.