Shloka 11

Devanagari script

येन पूर्णमिवाकाशं भवत्येकेन सर्वदा | शून्यं येन जनाकीर्ण त॑ देवा ब्राह्मणं विदु:,जो सदा अपने सर्वव्यापी स्वरूपसे स्थित होनेके कारण अकेले ही सम्पूर्ण आकाभमें परिपूर्ण-सा हो रहा है तथा जो असंग होनेके कारण लोगोंसे भरे हुए स्थानको भी सूना समझता है, उसे ही देवतालोग ब्राह्मण (ब्रह्मज्ञानी) मानते हैं

Transliteration

yena pūrṇam ivākāśaṃ bhavaty ekena sarvadā | śūnyaṃ yena janākīrṇaṃ taṃ devā brāhmaṇaṃ viduḥ ||

Translation

येनैकेन सदा स्वेन सर्वव्यापिस्वरूपेण पूर्णमिवाकाशं भवति, यश्चासङ्गत्वाज्जनाकीर्णमपि स्थानं शून्यमिव मन्यते—तं देवा ब्राह्मणं (ब्रह्मविदं) विदुः।

Word by Word

येनby whom/whereby

पूर्णम्full, filled

इवas if, like

आकाशम्sky, space

भवतिbecomes/is

एकेनby one (alone)

सर्वदाalways

शून्यम्empty, void

येनby whom/whereby

जनाकीर्णम्crowded with people

तत्that (person)

देवाःthe gods

ब्राह्मणम्a brahmin; knower of Brahman

विदुःknow, regard as

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

devāḥ (the gods)

brāhmaṇa (Brahman-knower)

ākāśa (space/sky)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A true brāhmaṇa is defined not by birth or ritual but by realization and detachment: established in the all-pervading Self, he remains inwardly complete and untouched, seeing even crowded worldly life as empty of binding attachment.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and liberation, Vyāsa characterizes the marks of a Brahman-knower: one who abides alone in the universal Self and remains unentangled amid society, thereby earning recognition (even by the gods) as a true brāhmaṇa.