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,पृथ्वीने कहा--भगवन्! इसके लिये मनुष्यको ब्राह्मणोंकी ही सेवा करनी चाहिये। यही सबसे पवित्र और उत्तम कार्य है। ब्राह्मणोंकी सेवा करनेवाले पुरुषका समस्त रजोगुण नष्ट हो जाता है। इसीसे ऐश्वर्य, इसीसे कीर्ति और इसीसे उत्तम बुद्धि भी प्राप्त होती है
pṛthivy uvāca brāhmaṇān eva seveta pavitraṃ hy etad uttamam | brāhmaṇān sevamānasya rajaḥ sarvaṃ praṇaśyati | ato bhūtir ataḥ kīrtir ito buddhiḥ prajāyate ||
A Terra disse: “Ó venerável! Para isso, o homem deve servir somente aos brāhmaṇas; este é, de fato, o caminho mais puro e mais elevado. Naquele que serve aos brāhmaṇas, todo rajas (a agitação passional) é destruído. Daí nasce a prosperidade; daí, a fama; e daí também surge a inteligência superior.”
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.