Shloka 38
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 71 — Kṣatra-dharma Counsel, Public Legitimacy, and Mobilization
अद्वीको वा विमूढो वा नैव स्त्री न पुन: पुमान् । नास्याधिकारो धर्मेडस्ति यथा शूद्रस्तथैव सः:
advīko vā vimūḍho vā naiva strī na punaḥ pumān | nāsyādhikāro dharme 'sti yathā śūdras tathaiva saḥ ||
قال يودهيشثيرا: «سواء كان المرء وقحًا لا حياء له أو مُضلَّلًا بالجهل، فهو ليس امرأةً حقًّا ولا رجلًا حقًّا. لا نصيب له ولا مقام في شؤون الدارما؛ وفي أهلية السلوك القويم ينبغي أن يُعدّ لا خيرَ من شُودرا (śūdra).»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral and spiritual eligibility (adhikāra) depends on character: shamelessness and delusion undermine a person’s claim to act or speak with authority in dharma. The verse uses a socially coded comparison (“like a śūdra”) to stress lack of entitlement, not biological sex.
In Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations and counsel, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a stern ethical judgment: a person who is shameless or foolish forfeits standing in dharma, emphasizing that inner conduct—not mere identity—grounds moral authority.