Shloka 1

The Glory of the Brāhmaṇa

Brāhmaṇa-Mahimā and Pādodaka Merit

Devanagari script

शौनक उवाच । कथयस्व महाप्राज्ञ ब्राह्मणस्य कृपार्णव । माहात्म्यं सर्ववर्णानां श्रेष्ठस्य कृपया च मे

Transliteration

śaunaka uvāca | kathayasva mahāprājña brāhmaṇasya kṛpārṇava | māhātmyaṃ sarvavarṇānāṃ śreṣṭhasya kṛpayā ca me

Translation

Śaunaka berkata: “Wahai yang maha bijaksana, lautan belas kasih, sudilah—dengan ihsanmu—menceritakan kepadaku kemuliaan (māhātmya) Brāhmaṇa, yang terbaik dalam semua varṇa.”

Word by Word

• śaunakaḥ: Śaunaka
• śaunakaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaunaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; speaker name

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्) (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada

• kathayasva: tell, narrate
• kathayasva: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kath (कथ्) (धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), 2nd person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada

• mahā-prājña: O greatly wise one
• mahā-prājña: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + prājña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular; karmadhāraya ‘great + wise’

• brāhmaṇasya: of the brāhmaṇa
• brāhmaṇasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• kṛpā-arṇava: O ocean of compassion
• kṛpā-arṇava: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛpā (प्रातिपदिक) + arṇava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular; karmadhāraya ‘ocean of compassion’

• māhātmyam: greatness, glory
• māhātmyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• sarva-varṇānām: of all social classes
• sarva-varṇānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural; tatpuruṣa ‘of all varṇas’

• śreṣṭhasya: of the श्रेष्ठ (best)
• śreṣṭhasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular; qualifying implied ‘brāhmaṇasya’

• kṛpayā: by compassion, kindly
• kṛpayā: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛpā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; used adverbially ‘out of compassion/please’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• me: for me
• me: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive/Dative (6th/4th), Singular; enclitic pronoun; here ‘for me’ (चतुर्थी-अर्थे)

Speaker

Śaunaka

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: mahāprājña → mahā-prājña; kṛpārṇava → kṛpā-arṇava; sarvavarṇānām → sarva-varṇānām.

Characters & Entities

• Śaunaka
• Brāhmaṇa
• Varṇa

FAQs

What is Śaunaka requesting in this verse?

He asks the sage to explain the māhātmya (glory and significance) of the Brāhmaṇa, described as the श्रेष्ठ (best) among all varṇas.

Why is the addressee called 'kṛpārṇava' (ocean of compassion)?

It frames the teaching as a compassionate act: the speaker requests the explanation not as a demand but as a kindness granted by a merciful, wise teacher.

What ethical or spiritual theme is introduced here?

The verse introduces a dharma-oriented inquiry: understanding the qualities, duties, and spiritual stature traditionally attributed to the Brāhmaṇa within the Purāṇic worldview.