Shloka 21

Devanagari script

महामना भवेद्‌ धर्मे विवहेच्च महाकुले । ब्राह्मणांश्वापि सेवेत क्षमायुक्तान्‌ मनस्विन:

Transliteration

mahāmanā bhaved dharme vivahec ca mahākule | brāhmaṇāṁś cāpi seveta kṣamāyuktān manasvinaḥ ||

Translation

ధర్మ విషయంలో అతడు మహామనస్సుతో ఉండాలి; మహాకులంలో వివాహం చేసుకోవాలి; అలాగే క్షమాశీలులు, ధైర్యసంపన్నులు అయిన బ్రాహ్మణులను సేవించి గౌరవించాలి.

Word by Word

महामनाgreat-minded

भवेत्should be / may become

धर्मेin dharma / in righteousness

विवहेत्should marry

चand

महाकुलेin a great/noble family

ब्राह्मणान्Brahmins

चand

अपिalso / even

सेवेतshould serve / attend upon

क्षमायुक्तान्endowed with forgiveness

मनस्विनःhigh-minded / self-possessed

Speaker

कामन्दक उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kāmandaka

Brahmins (brāhmaṇāḥ)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Cultivate nobility of mind grounded in dharma, form alliances through marriage with reputable lineages, and seek guidance by honoring Brahmins who embody patience and inner strength—linking personal virtue, social stability, and wise counsel.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instructional discourse, Kāmandaka offers practical ethical counsel: how a person—especially one concerned with right governance and conduct—should shape character, choose marital ties, and relate to learned, forbearant Brahmins as sources of guidance and moral authority.