Shloka 28
Baka Dālbhya at Avakīrṇa-tīrtha: Rāṣṭra-kṣaya and Release through Prasāda (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 40)
स तु वत्रे वरं राजन् स्यामहं ब्राह्मणस्त्विति
sa tu vavre varaṃ rājan syāham brāhmaṇas tv iti
కాని అతడు వరం కోరెను, ఓ రాజా—“నేను బ్రాహ్మణుడనగుదును గాక.”
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a value-choice: seeking the identity and discipline of a brāhmaṇa—associated with learning, restraint, and sacred duty—over other possible boons tied to power or pleasure, suggesting that ethical-spiritual orientation can be a deliberate aspiration.
A character, as reported by Vaiśaṃpāyana to the king, is described as choosing a boon; the boon requested is to become a brāhmaṇa, indicating a pivotal preference for a religious-ethical role within the story’s broader royal and war-time setting.