Shloka 25
पञ्चवर्णोत्पत्तिः — The Origin of the Five-Colored Fiery Being and Ritual-Disruptor Lineages
शरीरपर आघात करनेसे उस शरीरका नाश तो हो जाता है; किंतु अविनाशी जीव नहीं मरता। वह कर्मोंके बन्धनमें बँधकर फिर दूसरे शरीरमें प्रवेश कर जाता है ।। ब्राह्मण उवाच कथं धर्मविदां श्रेष्ठ जीवो भवति शाश्वत: । एतदिच्छाम्यहं ज्ञातुं तत्वेन वदतां वर,ब्राह्मणने पूछा--धर्मज्ञों तथा वक्ताओंमें श्रेष्ठ व्याध! जीव सनातन कैसे है? मैं इस विषयको यथार्थरूपसे जानना चाहता हूँ
brāhmaṇa uvāca: kathaṃ dharmavidāṃ śreṣṭha jīvo bhavati śāśvataḥ? etad icchāmy ahaṃ jñātuṃ tattvena vadatāṃ vara.
婆罗门说道：“噢，通达法（dharma）者中之最胜，言说者中之翘楚——有情之我、命我（jīva）何以为常住不灭？我愿如实了知此事。”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic-philosophical inquiry: the Brahmin seeks a truthful explanation of why the jīva (living self) is considered śāśvata (eternal), pointing toward teachings on the distinction between perishable body and imperishable self, and the ethical implications of understanding reality (tattva).
In the Vana Parva dialogue setting, a Brahmin addresses a revered dharma-knower and skilled speaker (contextually, the Vyādha in this episode) and asks for a precise, reality-based explanation of the soul’s eternality, continuing the instructional exchange on dharma and right understanding.