Mahabharata 3.201.90 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 201, Shloka 90
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
प्राकारैश्न पुरद्वारैः प्रासादैश्व पृथग्विधै: । नगराणि न शोभन्ते हीनानि ब्राह्मणोत्तमै:
prākāraiś ca puradvāraiḥ prāsādaiś ca pṛthagvidhaiḥ | nagarāṇi na śobhante hīnāni brāhmaṇottamaiḥ ||
மதில்கள், நகரவாசல்கள், பலவகை மாளிகைகள் இருந்தாலே நகரம் ஒளிராது; சிறந்த பிராமணர்கள் இல்லாத நகரத்திற்கு உண்மையான சிறப்பு இல்லை.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Material grandeur—walls, gates, and palaces—does not constitute a city’s true greatness. Real splendor arises from the presence of exemplary Brāhmaṇas who sustain dharma through learning, counsel, ritual, and moral guidance.
Yudhiṣṭhira is reflecting on what makes a kingdom flourish. He contrasts external fortifications and royal architecture with the inner strength of a community grounded in dharma, emphasizing the civic importance of virtuous and learned Brāhmaṇas.
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