Shloka 35
Adhyāya 262: Śabda-brahman, Para-brahman, and the Ethics of Tyāga
Kapila–Syūmaraśmi Saṃvāda
निराशिषमनारम्भं निर्नमस्कारमस्तुतिम् | अक्षीणं क्षीणकर्माणं त॑ देवा ब्राह्म॒णं विदु:,जिसके मनमें कोई कामना नहीं है, जो किसी फलकी इच्छासे कर्मोंका आरम्भ नहीं करता, नमस्कार और स्तुतिसे अलग रहता है, जिसका धर्म नहीं क्षीण हुआ है, कर्म-बन्धन क्षीण हो गया है, उसी पुरुषको देवतालोग ब्राह्मण मानते हैं
nirāśiṣam anārambhaṁ nirnamaskāram astutim | akṣīṇaṁ kṣīṇakarmāṇaṁ taṁ devā brāhmaṇaṁ viduḥ ||
Chulādhāra diz: “Os deuses reconhecem como verdadeiro brāhmaṇa aquele que está livre de desejos, que não inicia ações movido pela ânsia de resultados, que se mantém à parte de exibições de saudação e louvor, cujo dharma não murchou e cujo vínculo do karma se desgastou.”
चुलाधार उवाच
Educational Q&A
A brāhmaṇa is defined by inner qualities—desirelessness, non-attachment to results, freedom from honor-seeking rituals of praise and salutation, steadfast dharma, and the exhaustion of karmic bondage—rather than by birth, status, or outward display.
In the Śānti Parva’s didactic dialogue, Chūlādhāra is instructing on ethical and spiritual criteria for true nobility. He reframes social identity (brāhmaṇa) as a moral-spiritual attainment recognized even by the gods.