Mahabharata 1.187.12 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 187, Shloka 12
Ādi-parva, Adhyāya 187: Drupada’s Inquiry and the Dharma Debate on Draupadī’s Marriage
ब्राह्मणानामसाध्यं च नृषु संस्थानचारिषु । अब्भक्षा वायुभक्षाश्न फलाहारा दृढव्रता:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | brāhmaṇānām asādhyam ca nṛṣu saṃsthānacāriṣu | abbhakṣā vāyubhakṣāśn phalāhārā dṛḍhavratāḥ ||
வைசம்பாயனர் கூறினார்— “மனித வடிவில் நடமாடும் உயிர்களிடையே பிராமணர்களுக்குச் சாதிக்க முடியாத செயல் எதுவும் இல்லை. சிலர் நீரையே உணவாகக் கொண்டு, சிலர் காற்றையே உணவெனக் கொண்டு, சிலர் பழங்களையே உண்டு—உறுதியான விரதத்தில் நிலைத்திருப்பர்.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that spiritual discipline (tapas) and steadfast vows can generate extraordinary capability; hence brāhmaṇas, empowered by austerity and inner radiance, should not be treated with contempt or underestimated.
Vaiśampāyana is describing the exceptional capacities of brāhmaṇas—who may live on minimal sustenance like water, air, or fruit—emphasizing that their ascetic power makes them capable of accomplishing what seems impossible in human society.
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