Shloka 13
भिक्षुलक्षणम्—एकचर्याः, अहिंसा, कैवल्याश्रमः
Marks of the Mendicant: Solitary Wandering, Non-Injury, and the Kaivalya-Discipline
आहुर्वे बहुपादानि जड़मानि द्वयानि तु । बहुपाद्धयो विशिष्टानि द्विपदानि बहून्यपि
āhur vai bahupādāni jaḍāni dvayāni tu | bahupādhyāḥ viśiṣṭāni dvipadāni bahūny api ||
आहुर्वै बहुपादानि जडमानि द्विपदानि तु । बहुपादेभ्यो विशिष्टानि द्विपदानि बहून्यपि ॥
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
External form (many-footed or two-footed) does not by itself determine excellence; within every class there are superior and inferior types. The verse points toward ethical discernment—judging by qualities and conduct rather than mere category.
In Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, Vyāsa states a general observation about living beings, preparing the ground for a broader moral discussion on gradations of nature and the criteria for true superiority.