Shloka 30
मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169
ब्राह्मणो मध्यदेशीय: कश्रिद् वै ब्रह्मवर्जित: । ग्रामं वृद्धियुतं वीक्ष्य प्राविशद् भैक्ष्यकांक्षया
brāhmaṇo madhyadeśīyaḥ kaścid vai brahma-varjitaḥ | grāmaṁ vṛddhi-yutaṁ vīkṣya prāviśad bhaikṣya-kāṅkṣayā ||
بھیشم نے کہا—مَدیہ دیش کا ایک برہمن تھا جو وید کے علم سے بالکل محروم تھا۔ ایک خوشحال گاؤں دیکھ کر وہ بھیک کی خواہش میں اس میں داخل ہوا۔
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse introduces a case meant to test ethical definitions of status and virtue: a person called a Brahmin by birth seeks alms despite lacking Vedic learning, prompting reflection on whether true worth rests on lineage, learning (brahma), or right conduct (ācāra).
Bhishma begins a story: an unlearned Brahmin from the Madhyadeśa notices a prosperous village and goes into it to beg for alms, setting the stage for an ensuing encounter or lesson about dharma and social-religious identity.