Vana Parva Adhyaya 316 Shloka 109 - Mahabharata | Oriya | Vedapath

Vyasa

Shloka 109

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर बोले--तात यक्ष! सुनो न तो कुल ब्राह्मणत्वमें कारण है न स्वाध्याय और न शास्त्रश्रवण। ब्राह्मणत्वका हेतु आचार ही है, इसमें संशय नहीं है ।।

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca—tāta yakṣa! śṛṇu: na tu kulaṃ brāhmaṇatve kāraṇaṃ, na svādhyāyaḥ, na śāstraśravaṇam. brāhmaṇatvasya hetur ācāra eva; atra na saṃśayaḥ. vṛttaṃ yatnena saṃrakṣyaṃ brāhmaṇena viśeṣataḥ. akṣīṇavṛtto na kṣīṇaḥ; vṛttatas tu hato hataḥ.

Translation

ଯୁଧିଷ୍ଠିର କହିଲେ—ତାତ ଯକ୍ଷ! ଶୁଣ। ନ କୁଳଜନ୍ମ, ନ ସ୍ୱାଧ୍ୟାୟ, ନ ଶାସ୍ତ୍ରଶ୍ରବଣ—ଏମାନଙ୍କୁ କେହି ବ୍ରାହ୍ମଣତ୍ୱର ସତ୍ୟ କାରଣ କୁହାଯାଏ ନାହିଁ। ବ୍ରାହ୍ମଣତ୍ୱର ଆଧାର କେବଳ ଆଚାର—ଏଥିରେ ସନ୍ଦେହ ନାହିଁ। ତେଣୁ ସଦାଚାରକୁ ଯତ୍ନରେ ରକ୍ଷା କରିବା ଉଚିତ; ବ୍ରାହ୍ମଣଙ୍କୁ ତ ଏଥିରେ ବିଶେଷ ଦୃଷ୍ଟି ରଖିବା ଦରକାର। ଯାହାର ଆଚାର ଅକ୍ଷୁଣ୍ଣ, ସେ କ୍ଷୀଣ ହୁଏ ନାହିଁ; କିନ୍ତୁ ଯାହାର ଆଚାର ନଷ୍ଟ, ସେ ସର୍ବଥା ନଷ୍ଟ।

Word by Word

वृत्तम्conduct, good conduct

यत्नेनwith effort

संरक्ष्यम्to be protected, should be preserved

ब्राह्मणेनby a Brahmin

विशेषतःespecially

अक्षीण-वृत्तःone whose conduct is un-diminished

नnot

क्षीणःruined, diminished

वृत्ततःfrom/with respect to conduct

तुbut, however

हतःdestroyed

हतःutterly destroyed

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Yakṣa

Brāhmaṇa (as a social-ethical category)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Moral and social identity (here, ‘Brahminhood’) is grounded primarily in ācāra—lived ethical conduct—rather than in birth, mere study, or passive scriptural learning. One must actively preserve vṛtta (upright character), because integrity sustains one’s worth, while loss of conduct amounts to total ruin.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Yakṣa-prashna episode of the Vana Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira answers the Yakṣa’s probing questions on dharma. Here he emphasizes that true qualification is measured by conduct, presenting an ethical criterion that overrides lineage and formal learning.