Shloka 22
पात्रलक्षण-परिक्षा (Pātra-Lakṣaṇa Parīkṣā) — Criteria for a Worthy Recipient
पृथिव्युवाच ब्राह्मणानेव सेवेत पवित्र होतदुत्तमम् । ब्राह्मणान् सेवमानस्य रज: सर्व प्रणश्यति । अतो भूतिरत: कीर्तिरितो बुद्धि: प्रजायते
pṛthivy uvāca brāhmaṇān eva seveta pavitraṃ hy etad uttamam | brāhmaṇān sevamānasya rajaḥ sarvaṃ praṇaśyati | ato bhūtir ataḥ kīrtir ito buddhiḥ prajāyate ||
زمین نے کہا—اے بھگون! اس کے لیے انسان کو صرف برہمنوں کی خدمت کرنی چاہیے؛ یہی سب سے پاکیزہ اور اعلیٰ عمل ہے۔ برہمنوں کی خدمت کرنے والے کا سارا رجوگُن (جوش و اضطراب) مٹ جاتا ہے۔ اسی سے دولت و اقبال، اسی سے نام و شہرت، اور اسی سے برتر فہم و دانش پیدا ہوتی ہے۔
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that honoring and serving Brahmins—understood as representatives of learning, restraint, and dharma—is a supremely purifying act. Such service is said to reduce rajas (restless, desire-driven tendencies) and to yield three fruits: prosperity (bhūti), good fame (kīrti), and refined discernment (buddhi).
In Anuśāsana Parva’s didactic setting, a voice identified with the Earth (Pṛthivī) articulates a moral instruction: the recommended practice for a person seeking purity and uplift is service to Brahmins, presented as a cause of inner purification and outward success.