मृत्योर्ब्रह्मणा नियोजनम् — The Commissioning of Mṛtyu by Brahmā
सर्वान् वेदानधीयीत शुदश्रूषुर्ब्रह्मचर्यवान् । ऋचो यजूंसि सामानि न तेन न स वै द्विज:,जो सम्पूर्ण वेदोंका अध्ययन कर ले, गुरुकी सेवामें रहे, ब्रह्मचर्य-व्रतका पालन करे तथा ऋग्वेद, यजुर्वेद एवं सामवेदका पूरा-पूरा ज्ञान प्राप्त कर ले, वही मुख्य ब्राह्मण है
sarvān vedān adhīyīta śuśrūṣur brahmacaryavān | ṛco yajūṃṣi sāmāni na tena na sa vai dvijaḥ ||
सर्वान् वेदानधीयीत शुश्रूषुर्ब्रह्मचर्यवान्। ऋचो यजूंसि सामानि—न तेन स वै द्विजः॥
व्यास उवाच
Textual mastery of the Vedas, service to the teacher, and strict student-discipline are valuable, but they are not sufficient by themselves to constitute true dvija-hood; the verse implies that inner virtue and lived dharma must complete learning.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Vyāsa states a criterion about what does—and does not—make someone truly ‘twice-born,’ using Vedic study and brahmacarya as examples to show the limits of mere formal qualifications.