Shloka 31
उपदेशदोषप्रसङ्गः (Upadeśa-doṣa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Risk of Misapplied Counsel
कुरुष्वैतां पूर्वशीर्षा भवांश्वोदड्मुख: शुचि: । सच तत् कृतवान् शूद्र: सर्व यदृषिरब्रवीत्
kuruṣvaitāṃ pūrvaśīrṣā bhavāñ chvodāṅmukhaḥ śuciḥ | sa ca tat kṛtavān śūdraḥ sarvaṃ yad ṛṣir abravīt ||
قال بهيشما: «اجعل رأس حصير الكوشا هذا متجهًا إلى الشرق، وأنت—بعد أن تتطهّر—اجلس متجهًا إلى الشمال». ففعل الشُّودرا كلَّ ما قاله الرِّشي، حرفًا بحرف.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharmic practice requires disciplined attention to right procedure—purity, proper orientation, and faithful execution of a teacher’s instructions—showing that ethical seriousness is expressed through careful conduct (ācāra).
A sage instructs a Śūdra to arrange a kuśa seat with its end toward the east and to sit purified facing north; the Śūdra complies fully with everything the sage says, and Bhīṣma recounts this as part of his discourse on right conduct.