Shloka 4
Adhyaya 1 — Jaimini’s Questions on the Mahabharata and the Origin of the Wise Birds
त्रिदशानां यथा विष्णुर्द्विपदां ब्राह्मणो यथा ।
भूषणानाञ्च सर्वेषां यथा चूडामणिर्वरः ॥
tridaśānāṃ yathā viṣṇur dvipadāṃ brāhmaṇo yathā | bhūṣaṇānāñ ca sarveṣāṃ yathā cūḍāmaṇir varaḥ ||
正如毗湿奴（Viṣṇu）为诸天之首，正如婆罗门（Brāhmaṇa）为两足众生之首，又正如冠上宝珠为一切饰物之最胜——如是，此处所赞颂者亦为最卓越者。
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FAQs
The verse uses familiar exemplars of “foremostness” to ground a value-claim: within any domain there is a recognized summit (deity among devas, dharmic learning among humans, the crest-jewel among ornaments). Ethically, it reinforces the Purāṇic habit of orienting the listener toward an acknowledged highest principle or ideal, encouraging discernment of what is truly exemplary and worth reverence.
This verse is primarily prastāvanā/maṅgala (introductory praise) rather than a direct instance of the pañcalakṣaṇa topics. It serves as a framing benediction that precedes or supports later pañcalakṣaṇa material (e.g., sarga, manvantara, vaṃśa) in the Purāṇa.
Symbolically, “Viṣṇu among devas” suggests the sustaining principle; “Brāhmaṇa among humans” points to discriminative wisdom (viveka) and śāstric insight; “cūḍāmaṇi among ornaments” indicates the crowning element that completes and orders the rest. Together they imply that spiritual life is oriented by a ‘crown’ principle—an integrating highest truth that gives coherence to all subsidiary virtues and practices.